Duty and Honor

by denise1

Will Sam pay the price for her father's devotion to duty? Spawned from the idea: Would Jacob put the job before his kin.

petet Normal Denise 3 20 2008-07-19T19:26:00Z 2008-07-20T17:03:00Z 25 16068 91593 Kansas Department of Transportation 763 183 112482 9.8961 0 0

Duty and Honor

By

Denise

I've got a bad feeling about this," Jack said, propping his arms on the P-90 strapped to his chest.

"We don't really have a choice, colonel," Sam said, looking up at her commanding officer from her position lying on the floor, her upper body half under a console. "The Tok'ra only had five ships and it's going to take every single one to evacuate the Salones."

"Unless of course we open the gate and toss them through," he said.

"Colonel…." She protested.

"I know," he interrupted. "Going through the gate is the same as a one way trip to hell for them," he said, rolling his eyes at the beliefs of the people. SG-1 had gated to P4X349 two weeks ago, planning to open trade relations with the native people, Salone.

They'd been welcomed with open arms, despite the belief among the people that the gate was the instrument of the devil and a one way trip to damnation. Sam had a funny idea that Jonas' suggestion that hell didn't apply to everyone had something to do with it and the fact that these people had basically been dumped on this planet a few dozen years ago, abandoned by their goa'uld for some unknown reason. After a few tense hours, they'd been accepted as visitors and treated with courtesy, if not more than a little cautiousness.

They'd been allowed to set up an observatory to study the planet's rare binary system. And that same observatory was the reason they were now evacuating the planet. All their data showed that one of the suns was becoming unstable and headed towards a nova. They had no idea when, the cosmic clock dictating that it could be next week, or next year, but it was going to happen. The solar system was well on its way to being uninhabitable even now, massive solar flares that were the sun's death throes already effecting the planet's environment. Sam figured this was another reason they'd been accepted. While the Salones had strong beliefs, they evidentially also had a nice healthy fear of death, and the desire to avoid it.

Which is why the SGC had called in a few favors with the Tok'ra, borrowing five teltacs to evacuate the native population to a new planet several solar systems away, one the Tok'ra knew well and with no binary stars to worry about.

The problems started, however, when the ships arrived, one of them in far less than perfect condition, rickety enough that Sam didn't want to risk taking it on a deep space trip, at least not full of women and children. And since they needed every single ship to have any hope of evacuating all of the refugees, she'd spent the last four days working almost non-stop in an effort to make the ship space worthy.

"Carter," Jack said, the tone of his voice gaining her full attention. "Honest assessment. Is this bird going to fly?" he asked.

She sat up, wiping her hands on her pants. "Technically, sir, it'll fly now."

"But..."

"But...you remember the teltac we took to chase down the asteroid?"

"Yeah."

"I'd trust that one more."

He sighed heavily. "Great." She could read the look on his face. With only four ships, they couldn't evacuate all the people. And he had to go to Rygan and tell the leader that some of his people could die. Not only did they have the solar flares to worry about, but they'd also had a small earthquake this morning, a sign that the sun's gravitational forces were starting to effect the planets.

"Sir...when we calculated how many people could fit in a teltac, we accounted for baggage. I mean, we can't ask these folks to move to a new planet with only the clothes on their backs."

"Right."

"What if...what if we turned this ship into a cargo ship, all the baggage goes here and we split the people assigned to this ship to the other four. It'll be rather crowded but the flight should only take 24 hours or so."

"Crowded is better than dead," he said. "How about this ship?"

"Thraken and I can fly it. That way there's more room for cargo. And if the worst happens...it's got two working escape pods," she said, making a face. The claustrophobic survival pods were definitely not a favorite place of hers, ranking somewhere below jumping out of an airplane on her list of fun things to do.

"I'll go talk to Rygan," Jack said, stepping back. "He and Jonas will have to work on reassigning folks."

"Yes, sir," she said, lying back down.

"Carter?"

"Sir?" She looked up at him.

"If you're not comfortable flying this crate, screw the cargo. You're not risking your neck for someone's knick knacks. We'll raid the Goodwill store and replace these peoples' belongings if we have to," he said, his eyes serious.

"It's fine, sir. But thanks," she said sincerely, knowing full well all she had to do was hint that she wasn't confident about the ship and it would be abandoned.

"No, problem," he answered. She heard him walk away and she turned her attention back to her task. This ship was going to fly, if she had anything to say about it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Twenty-four hours later she was regretting her pledge as yet another odd sound filtered up to the peltac area of the small ship. With nothing untoward registering on the displays before her, she cast a look over to Thraken who was piloting the craft.

"It is nothing to be concerned about," he said, giving her one of those 'would you just go take a nap or something' looks. Her relationship with the man was already tense, having started out on a bit of a bad note when he took offense to her questioning the ship's space-worthiness and taking her tinkering personally. It was a couple of days later before she found out the reason for his attitude. He was the last person to have flown the ship, and had obviously pushed it beyond its normal tolerances, then denied all knowledge of his actions.

Knowing that if she said anything she'd just make their tense relationship tenser, she remained silent, forcing herself to sit back in the chair.

Their small convoy was in hyperspace and she fought the urge to just sit and stare out the window. She'd discovered early on that the visual distortion of hyperspace had an almost hypnotic effect upon her, one she'd used more than once to lull herself into a near kelnoreem state of resting awakeness.

"I'm gonna go get something to eat," she said, getting to her feet. "Do you want anything?" she offered, hoping that maybe she could mend a fence or two.

"I do not require sustenance at this time," he said, not even looking at her.

"Fine," she said, deliberately keeping her voice light. "I'll be back in a bit." She made her way to the small private area in the back of the ship where the food and sanitary facilities were contained. After making a quick pit stop, she rummaged through her pack and the MRE's she'd brought.

While one of them warmed in the small Tok'ra version of an oven, she leaned against the wall, shaking her head at the piles and piles of stuff that was their cargo. It had taken some heavy persuading to convince the Salones to trust their belongings to a pair of strangers and she couldn't totally blame them. It was traumatic enough being ousted from your homes, even more so when all your limited possessions were taken from you with a promise of 'they'll be following right behind us'.

The machine made a squeaking sound, one she'd learned that signaled the end of the heating cycle and she turned, carefully removing it from the oven. Not in the mood to deal with Thraken's surly temperament, she sat down on the small bit of empty floor and opened her meal. They really had been lucky that there'd been room for everyone's belongings, although it had taken them piling possessions to the ceiling in some places to fit it all in.

The Salones were a small colony of people, barely one hundred souls, which was indeed fortunate. Too many more and they'd either have to get over their overwhelming fear of the Stargate or they'd have been left behind to die. They'd been most closed mouthed about their past, refusing to name the goa'uld that had abandoned them or any of the planets they'd originally come from.

Digging the plastic spork into her spaghetti, she took a large bite, instinctively eating fast, knowing that MRE's were barely edible hot, and even less so cold. As she ate, her eyes played over the piles of belongings, smiling at some, her heart breaking with sadness at others. They had everything from baskets of seed corn to bundles of clothing to empty cradleboards crammed into their teltac. And she still knew they didn't get everything. The Salones had left their animals behind; even their family pets with the promise that the SGC would either return for them, or more likely, replace them with stock from Earth.

The ship gave an odd shudder and she stopped eating, cocking her head to hear better. Abandoning her lunch, she got to her feet, steadying herself with a hand on the bulkhead as the ship jolted violently.

"Thraken?" she called out, jumping back as a bundle of clothing fell off the pile and landed in her path. She stepped over it, pushing other bundles that threatened to fall. "What's wrong?" she demanded, finally making it back to the control station.

"The stabilizers are going. We dropped out of hyperspace," he reported.

"Where's everyone else?"

"They do not appear to suffer from the same problem," he said, openly struggling with the control yoke.

"Can you fix it?"

He paused for a second, and then shook his head. "No. Not in space."

"Let's send a mayday," she said, sitting down.

"That may not be wise."

"Why not?"

"This is not a good area of space in which to linger," he said, his face telling her more than mere words.

"Whose territory are we in?" she asked.

"Anubis recently conquered this system," he reported.

She stopped, weighing their odds. "You said you can't fix it?" He shook his head. "Do we have sub light?"

"The nearest habitable planet is too far away. We do not possess enough life support to attain it," he said.

"So, we have no hyper drive, and not enough life support to make a safe landing anywhere?" she said. He nodded. "And if we call for help, we stand a chance of alerting the goa'uld to our presence?"

"Yes."

The sensors beeped and she looked down at her console, feeling her heart lurch at the readings. "I don't think we need to worry about the goa'uld finding us," she said softly, watching with morbid satisfaction as three hatak ships dropped out of hyperspace in front of them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jack gratefully ushered the last of the refugees out of the teltac, pausing just outside the door to breathe in some fresh air. You wouldn't think thirty odd people crammed into the hold of a small ship would be annoying, but it was. Especially the kids.

Now, normally Jack had a soft spot for kids, one about the size of Michigan. But nearly thirty hours listening to three of them holding their own personal cry-off was enough to try the patience of a saint….and Jack O'Neill was no saint.

"Bout time you guys got here," he heard. Turning to the familiar voice, Jack smiled.

"Jacob. What the hell are you doing here?" he asked good-naturedly, walking towards the man.

"I've come to repo your ride," the Tok'ra said, returning Jack's hand shake. "We need these ships to run cargo to one of our outposts. Garshaw sent me to pick them up."

"I hope you don't want them detailed," Jack said, moving as three Salone children ran past them, burning off excess energy.

"Given your track record, I'm happy that they're all in one piece," Jake said, earning him a killing look from Jack. The Tok'ra frowned, looking past Jack. "Where's the fifth?" he asked.

"What?"

"I only see four of them," Jacob said.

Jack turned, confirming Jacob's words. "Teal'c!" he bellowed, catching sight of the Jaffa who was walking towards him, Jonas at his side. "Where's the other ship?"

"O'Neill?"

Jack reached for his radio. "Carter?" Getting no response Jack walked forward, leaving Jacob, Teal'c and Jonas to trail behind him. "What happened to the fifth ship?" he demanded of one of the Tok'ra pilots.

"It is not here," the woman replied, looking past him to Jacob.

"Yeah, I can see that," Jack said, his ire rising.

Jacob stepped past Jack, speaking to the woman in Goa'uld. Their conversation carried on for several minutes, prompting Jack to turn to Teal'c for translation. "It is Karina's opinion that Major Carter's teltac suffered some sort of mechanical difficulty and will be along shortly," he reported.

Jack shook his head. "She'd have let us know."

"Communications in hyperspace can be problematic at best," Selmac said.

"I don't care if she had to tie a string to a tin can, Carter would have let us know," Jack insisted.

"If they had a problem and had to drop out of hyperspace, why didn't someone detect it?" Jonas asked.

"Hyperspace and sensors don't mix," Jacob said. "Jack, I'm sure she's fine," he reassured.

"I'm glad you're sure," Jack said. "I'm not gonna be sure until I hear from her or she sets that piece of crap ship down."

"We brought all we had," Karina bristled. "Do you believe we have a fleet of teltacs at our beck and call?"

"We know you did the best you could and we appreciate it," Jonas soothed the woman. "We're just concerned about our friend."

"And the Salones will be most distressed when they notice that their belongings have vanished," Teal'c said.

"Fire that bird up," Jack said, moving towards the teltac.

"Colonel O'Neill?" Karina asked, clearly startled.

"We'll retrace our steps. Can't be that far."

"Jack," Jacob said, moving in front of the colonel. "You guys traveled over two hundred light years. Do you know how long it'll take to search that at sub-light?"

"The sooner we get started…"

Jacob shot the other people a look, sending them back a bit to give him and Jack some privacy. "Jack, it would take you weeks to search your path and some of it is in hostile territory. We don't have the time or the ships," he said softly.

"We've got four right here."

"Four that are urgently needed to restock a colony of ours."

"Restock them later."

Jacob shook his head. "It doesn't work that way. They're in an asteroid field. We've got a two day window once a month to restock them. A window we're going to barely be able to make since we loaned you these ships. If we don't restock them, they'll starve," he said.

"This is your daughter we're talking about," Jack reminded.

"Damnit, Jack. I know. And I also know that Sam wouldn't want two hundred people to starve because of her." He sighed and looked away, then brought his eyes back to Jack. "She's a big girl, Jack. I learned that a long time ago. We've got to make this cargo run. I'll contact the SGC when we're done. If Sam hasn't shown up by then, we'll go look for her."

"How long is your run?" Jack said, his voice resigned.

"Forty-eight hours. And before you ask, a teltac's life support can last for weeks, especially with only two people using it."

"Yeah," Jack said sighing. Jacob gave him a reassuring pat on the arm then walked away, calling out in goa'uld to the other Tok'ra pilots.

"Colonel?" Jonas asked. "What's going on?"

"Talk to the people, Jonas," Jack ordered. "Get a list of things they need to tide them over until Carter gets here." The pair walked off and Jack stood there, staring up at the alien sky, desperately wishing for the appearance of a ship he had a funny feeling wasn't going to come.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Arweax watched as the Tau'ri female slumped, crumpling to the floor. Osiris sighed, clearly disappointed that the woman was unconscious. "Take her back to her cell," she said, handing him her stefla as she sat on her throne, arranging her body in such a way to maximize the exposure of skin.

Two Jaffa picked the woman up by her arms, letting her legs drag across the floor. One of them shot Arweax a look. "My lord," he said. "The Tok'ra?"

Osiris waved her hand negligently. "I do not have sufficient time to enjoy him," she said. "Let them have the rest of the day to themselves," she said as though she was granting a great reward to her prisoners.

Arweax nodded to his man and the pair dragged the woman out of the room. "My lord," he said, making sure that the tone of his voice was sufficiently meek. "A question?"

"Yes?"

"This Tau'ri. You have…interrogated her for many days, yet you have not asked her a single question."

"That is because she does not possess any knowledge I desire," Osiris said, clearly in an indulgent mood. Which is why he risked making an inquiry. He knew that goa'uld's often possessed volatile tempers, but Osiris' was legendary, often being compared to Anubis in it's fierceness and swiftness.

"The Tau'ri chaappai is guarded by a barrier that no one has been able to breech."

"Do you suggest that I am remiss in not seeking this information from the woman?" she bristled.

"No, my lord," he said quickly. "I merely…Anubis would be pleased to gain access to the planet of the Tau'ri."

"Gaining access to the Tau'ri chaappai gains us nothing. They bury their Stargate underground, making an assault most difficult. Even Anubis has been unable to breach it." She got up and paced across the throne room, coming to a halt in front of the large viewing area. "No," she said. "Earth shall fall to the Eye of Anubis. He shall strike the planet down from space, as befits a God. And then he shall destroy the Tok'ra. Major Carter holds no information of any value. She is here solely for my amusement."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Thraken looked up as he heard the footsteps come down the hall. 'Teson?'

'Easy, my friend,' his symbiote soothed. 'They are merely returning Major Carter.'

Thraken remained silent, knowing that Teson could read his fear. They'd been captives now for several days, more than either of them could accurately calculate given the consistent lighting in their cell, and the occasional periods of unconsciousness.

Knowing that antagonizing the Jaffa would only gain him more bruises, or remind them that he existed, he remained still, seated on the small ledge, his back against the wall and one leg drawn up.

The door slid open and they dragged Carter in, laying her on the floor with a surreal gentleness. One of them looked at Thraken, and then reached for his belt, throwing a small bottle of water and a bundle of rags at the Tok'ra before turning and leaving the cell.

'That is odd,' Teson said as Thraken moved to the woman, kneeling at her side.

'Yes,' he agreed, carefully rolling her over. Her thin t-shirt had disintegrated days ago; leaving only the short top she wore to support her breasts and her heavy pants as her only clothing. He could see fresh burn marks telling him that Osiris had again subjected her to the stefla, or what the Tau'ri called a pain stick.

In what had become an all too familiar chain of events, he picked her up, laying her on the ledge opposite his, her discarded jacket serving as a cushion for her head.

'That one is becoming infected,' Teson said as Thraken bathed her wounds with the water, washing away the worst of blood and fluid and cooling the skin.

'I know,' Thraken said, acknowledging the woman's fate. He knew Samantha Carter was relatively healthy and could likely fight off an infection from a couple of the burns, but not of this number or magnitude. Even if the infections did not kill her, they would weaken her enough that she would soon die.

'That would be a blessing,' Teson said, reading his host's thoughts.

'Selmac would be most distressed should she die.'

'Selmac would be even more distressed at her treatment,' Teson shot back. 'Osiris does not possess a sarcophagus,' he suggested, letting the words hang in Thraken's mind.

"No," Thraken said aloud, feeling the need to make his feelings abundantly clear. His single word caused Carter to stir slightly, a low moan escaping from between her parched lips. Thraken moistened a clean rag, dabbing it across her lips, relieved when her tongue peeked out, licking away the moisture. He continued the procedure, knowing that she would not awake for several hours and that she needed the water. 'I will not kill her,' he insisted to his symbiote.

Teson backed down, knowing that he was fighting against a huge cultural taboo, Thraken's people considered suicide, even euthanasia to be the most vile act imaginable. 'My friend, I know how you feel, and I respect your wishes. But I ask you to consider that death can be more merciful than life.' Thraken didn't reply and Teson withdrew, settling himself into a healing slumber. Even though it seemed that they had a reprieve from their sessions today, he knew that soon Osiris would wish to play with them again and he must be ready. For he had not only one life to care for, but two.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam slowly opened her eyes, the chills chasing across her skin enough to make her physically ill. Steeling herself against the pain, she slowly rolled over, pushing herself up to a sitting position. "You should rest," Thraken said, moving to sit beside her. He reached over to pick up her jacket, settling it over her shoulders.

"How long?" she whispered, her throat too sore to actually speak.

"Several hours." He held up the canteen, ignoring her shaking hands to help her drink. She sipped gratefully, forcing herself not to rip it from his hands and gulp the water down.

"Thank you," she muttered, pulling the jacket tighter around her shoulders.

"Osiris knows you," he said.

"Haven't you heard? We've got a reputation." She closed her eyes, carefully leaning against the wall of the cell, her breath hissing between her teeth as the fabric of her jacket rubbed against the raw burns.

"No. She is from your planet," he prodded.

"Yes." She paused for a minute, hoping that he'd drop the subject. "She was the friend of Doctor Jackson."

"Who is no longer with you."

"Yeah."

"She blames you for his…departure?"

She shook her head, opening her eyes. "No. I tried to shoot her a few times. Tends to breed a little bad blood."

"There is more than that between you," he said.

"I don't suppose you have a nice convenient spy in Osiris' ranks?" she asked, blatantly changing the subject.

Thraken's eyes flared. "You know we could not tell you, Major Carter," Teson said. "There is a chance you may reveal their identity."

"And you won't?" she shot back. He gave her a cold look, staring her down until she looked away.

"If there is a Tok'ra within Osiris' ranks, I do not know their identity," he said. "You need to rest," he said again. "We shall keep watch."

Too tired to argue, she closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the wall, the thought that they were well and truly on their own chasing her into a restless slumber.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Unscheduled off world activation!" Sergeant Davis reported, glancing over his shoulder as General Hammond led Colonel O'Neill down the stairs.

The colonel passed his leader, coming to stand claustrophobically close to Walter's shoulders. It had been the same for nearly every unscheduled activation during the past two weeks, O'Neill's presence in the control room a steady enough force that the current rumor was that he hadn't left the base since his return from helping the Salones.

His console beeped and Walter looked down. "Receiving Tok'ra IDC, sirs."

"About goddamn time," O'Neill muttered as Hammond ordered the iris opened.

The two men hurried down to the gate room as Jacob Carter appeared…alone. Unable to do much but read the looks on the three men's faces, Davis sighed. Whatever news the old general brought, it wasn't good.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Jacob?" Jack asked, his eyes scanning the rippling surface, desperately hoping that someone else was coming through. When the wormhole snapped shut he felt his shoulders slump. "Where's your ship?"

"Glad to see you too, Jack. George," the man acknowledged.

"We expected you several days ago, Jacob," George said, shooting O'Neill a concerned look.

"Yeah," Jacob said. "Maybe we better head upstairs, George," the man suggested.

"Jacob?"

"Upstairs, Jack." Ceding to the authority of the two generals, Jack fell into step, following them through the control room and up to the briefing room. Jacob walked past the table, then turned to face them. He nodded and his eyes flared, signaling that Selmac was now speaking. "Colonel O'Neill, General Hammond, I regret to inform you that we found no sign of Thraken, Teson or Major Carter," he reported.

"Teson?"

"Thraken's symbiote," Selmac explained.

"You said you were going to come back and get us," Jack said.

"Once we finished restocking the colony, we were closer to Salone than Earth," Selmac said. "We retraced the path as reported to us by the other pilots, and we found nothing."

"What the hell do you mean you found nothing?" Jack asked.

"Colonel," George warned.

"It is all right," Selmac said, not taking offense at Jack's attitude. "One theory was that their ship suffered mechanical failures—"

"That's not surprising considering the piece of junk you saddled us with," Jack complained.

"However, we found no sign of the teltac, nor any wreckage," Selmac continued, ignoring Jack's outburst.

"Is it possible they found a planet to set down on?" George asked.

"That is the current theory," Selmac confirmed.

"So, let's go find them," Jack said. "There can't be that many planets…."

"Approximately three hundred capable of supporting human life," Selmac said. "More if we consider habitable asteroids or the possibility that they received aid from a passing ship." Jack's face fell, the enormity of the search sinking in. "We have informed our operatives and they will keep an eye open," Selmac said, Jacob's face twisting a bit as the symbiote puzzled out the idiom. "We do, however, have a far more serious issue to consider."

"What?" George asked.

Jacob's head nodded. "Anubis is on the move. He's got some sort of new weapon, something like a death star. He's destroyed three planets that we know of, and given the fact that he's attacked Earth at least twice, I'd say it's a safe bet that he'll eventually end up here."

"You don't know?" Jack asked.

Jacob shook his head. "We've tried to insert operatives into his ranks, none of them have been heard from again. By the time we know what he's up to, the damage is done and he's gone."

"What do you suggest?" George asked.

"Short of evacuating the whole planet, I don't know what to suggest," Jacob said. "He tussled with Yu a few weeks ago and we haven't heard from Yu since, which is not good news given that Yu's about the only system lord capable of giving Anubis a run for his money." He looked to George, his expression serious. "You may want to think about sending some folks to the Alpha site, and any other planet that's primitive enough for Anubis not to care," he advised.

"It's that bad?" George asked.

"Yeah. Look, I gotta get back," Jacob said. "We'll keep an eye open for her, Jack," he promised.

"When it's convenient," Jack muttered.

Jacob gave George a look and the man slipped away, taking refuge in his office. "Jack, I want nothing more than to grab every ship we have and tear the universe apart until we find her."

"Then why don't you?" Jack challenged.

"Because I know my daughter. And I know she'd never forgive me if I let millions die because of her."

"You sure about that?" Jack shot back.

Jacob met his gaze, his eyes shuttered and shadowed. Seeing the anguish in the man's eyes, Jack backed down, looking away. "I've got to go," Jacob said. "If I find out anything, you'll be the first to know," he promised.

"Yeah," Jack said softly as Jacob walked away, headed back down to the control room. Jack turned, staring out the window at the gate below as the ancient mechanism started to spin. "Carter, where the hell are you?" he whispered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam was in hell. No, wait, she'd been to hell once before and it was warmer, she though, pulling up her legs and curling her body up, trying to generate some warmth. She was cold, her fingers and bare feet like four blocks of ice, chilling the rest of her body. She didn't know if the cell really was cold or if her chills were simply a byproduct of the fever she'd developed over the last couple of days and she didn't care. All she wanted was a long hot bath and to go home to her nice warm and soft bed.

A faint wail echoed down the hall and she closed her eyes, fighting the urge to cover her ears. It had been like this for hours, ever since the Jaffa had come and marched her from her cell, tossing her into a small room just off the peltac, Osiris' chosen location for her torture.

It had been going on for hours, if her internal clock was to be trusted, and she didn't know how much more the Tok'ra could take. She knew she'd never felt this weak before in her life, not even during that bout with pneumonia she'd had twenty years ago.

The door opened and she looked up, feeling the blood drain from her face as, instead of the Jaffa returning Thraken to the cell, they apparently were coming for her. They grabbed her arms with enough force that she feared that they'd snap the bones and roughly pulled her from the room.

They took her to the peltac, dropping her to the floor in front of Osiris' throne. She defiantly raised her head, trying to hide her dismay at the sight of Thraken. He was shirtless, his pale chest covered with welts and burns, the acrid scent of burnt hair in the air enough to make her sick.

His arms were pulled back, wrapped around a pole like the Jaffa had restrained Colonel O'Neill and Grogan back on the sentinel planet. His head was hanging low upon his chest and she could see that manacles encircled his ankles, effectively hog tying him.

"Ah, so nice of you to join us," Osiris drawled, walking over to her, her heels clicking on the shiny black floor. "Thraken and I were having a little fun, although he is being a most disagreeable guest."

"I wonder why," Sam muttered, silently telling herself to hold her tongue.

"He will not tell me which he prefers, this," she held out her left hand, the reddish orange jewel in the center of the ribbon weapon glinting dully in the flickering light from the torches behind the throne. "Or the stefla." She held up the pain stick. "Now, how am I to insure my guest's enjoyment if I do not know how to please them?"

Sam stared at the goa'uld, morbidly fascinated with the insanity in her eyes. "All those years in a stasis jar pickled your brain," she said.

Osiris slapped her, the edge of her ribbon device cutting into her cheek. "Insolent bitch." She dug her fingers into Sam's hair, pulling her head up. "Just for that, you shall choose."

"What?"

"How shall I continue?"

"You can let us go."

"Choose one or I kill them both," she said, drawing a knife from a sheath at her waist. "Do you know how long it takes a human, even a Tok'ra, to bleed to death?"

Sam looked past Osiris, watching Thraken raise his head, his eyes painfully bleak. He nodded slightly, giving her permission. "No," she whispered.

"What?" Osiris asked, drawing the knife gently across Sam's exposed throat. "I did not hear you correctly, I think."

"Go to hell," Sam said, closing her eyes and steeling herself for the killing blow.

"You shall not escape me that easily," Osiris said. Sam heard the familiar whine of a ribbon device and then her brains were on fire.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Thraken closed his eyes, biting his lip until the pain from his strained and stressed muscles faded to an annoying ache. Teson could mask the pain he knew, but his symbiote was weak, stressed nearly to death by his attempts to mitigate the pain from the stefla.

He heard two more Jaffa come into the cell and opened his eyes to see them lay Major Carter upon the ledge opposite his. The first prime came in, dismissing his men with a jerk of his head. He set a small bottle down beside Thraken. "There is enough for two. It shall ease your pain," he said softly.

"Or poison us," Thraken accused, puzzled by the Jaffa's behavior. This was not the first time the warrior had shown his captives some small kindness.

"Would death not be a mercy," he replied, his tone showing that he wasn't bothered by Thraken's distrust. "Take the potion, do not take the potion. Either way, dispose of the bottle." He turned to leave the cell.

"Why?" Thraken asked, making him pause in the doorway.

The Jaffa looked back, giving him a long, appraising look. "There is no honor in cruelty," he replied, closing the cell door behind him and leaving the two captives alone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Teal'c walked into the gym, relieved to note that only one person was availing himself of the facilities at the moment. He crossed the room, placing himself in O'Neill's line of vision. The man was running on one of the machines, and had been for some time if the perspiration soaking his shirt was any indication. "O'Neill."

"T," he acknowledged, continuing his exercise with an intenseness that non-verbally screamed for Teal'c to go away and leave him alone.

He ignored the message, instead forging ahead. "General Hammond informed me that he has given Major Carter the status of Missing in Action."

"That's what I heard," O'Neill said, staring straight ahead. "Ain't the first time."

"Indeed it is not, however this is the first time she has been given this status without being in the company of one of us," Teal'c pressed.

"What's your point, Teal'c?" O'Neill growled, halting his exercise and turning to look at the Jaffa.

"General Hammond has indicated that you have been requested to seek a suitable person to occupy Major Carter's position on SG-1…"

"Hammond can take his request and…."

"You do realize, O'Neill, the sooner a replacement is chosen, the sooner SG-1 can return to its missions through the Stargate…and the greater the chances that we may discover clues to Major Carter's disappearance," he said.

"Yeah," O'Neill said softly.

"I shall leave you to your contemplations," Teal'c said, turning and leaving the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Arweax stood by Osiris as the two captives were again brought forth. He had hoped that Osiris would grant them a reprieve, but it appeared that she planned to torment them yet again. Both of them were weak, lacking the strength for any defiant gestures.

He knew that they would not live much longer, he could see it in the flat stare of their eyes, the apathy when they'd been returned to their cell the day before. For the first time, there had been no attempt to comfort the other, in fact, he'd found them laying just as he'd left them the day before.

The woman's neck was still streaked with blood from where Osiris had grazed her flesh with her knife, the livid welts from her burns the only color in her skin.

The Tok'ra was not in much better shape, his head hanging limply, his wounds showing no signs of healing, indicating that his symbiote was also in a weakened condition.

He knew his thoughts were traitorous, but he felt nothing but disgust at his lord's treatment of her captives. Yes, the Tok'ra and Tau'ri were enemies of the goa'uld, but they had not been captured in battle but by happenstance, two passengers upon an unarmed and damaged ship full of primitive possessions.

They were not a threat to anyone but themselves, and still his lord had reveled in their capture, enjoying their pain and degradation in a way that sickened him. If they had possessed some vital knowledge, he knew he would feel differently, but Osiris had yet to interrogate either of her hostages for information.

Osiris sighed dramatically, motioning for the Jaffa to drop their prisoners. They complied and stepped back, positioning themselves around the walls.

She knelt before the Tok'ra, digging her fingers into his short sandy colored hair and pulling his head up. "You are a disgrace," she sneered. "Betraying your race."

"You are the betrayal," the symbiote said. "Your very behavior is illustration of that fact."

Osiris growled, raising her other hand and clamping it around his throat. "I shall squeeze the life from you like the vermin that you are."

"My death only fuels the fire that burns within the ranks of the Tok'ra," he stated.

She dropped him with a growl, aiming a sharp kick at his side. The Tok'ra merely groaned and curled onto his side.

Osiris moved to the woman, digging her fingers into the Tau'ri's chin. "And you…I offer you a boon," she crooned.

"Bite me," the woman said, her defiant words not matching the look in her eyes.

"My host is…homesick," Osiris said. "She longs for companionship. A…friend. Pledge me your loyalty and it will end."

She shook her head. "No."

"Imagine it, my ship, your knowledge. I am sure you have been to many planets since you opened your chaappai, planets full of wealth and riches. Riches that will be ours for the taking." The blonde silently shook her head.

"Can it be that you enjoy the pain?" Osiris asked, pulling a zatnikatel from her waist and handing it to the woman. "You think I have tormented you? What you have experienced is nothing compared to what Anubis will do to you. Join me," she enticed, arming the weapon and holding her hand over the Tau'ri's. "Together we can rule forever."

"No," the Tau'ri whispered, trying vainly to pull her hand from Osiris' grasp.

Osiris tightened her grip and the woman moaned in pain. "Kill the Tok'ra and I shall let you live."

"Please…" The weapon fired and the Tok'ra writhed in pain, his body convulsing.

"Again!" Osiris ordered, raising her voice.

The Tau'ri paused, her hand shaking. "NO!" she screamed, pulling away from Osiris, the zatnikatel skittering across the floor. "No," she repeated softer.

Osiris roughly pushed her away. "Very well," she said. She got to her feet and crossed over to the Tok'ra. Her hand moved, her fingers sliding around to the back of his neck. She gave a small twist, breaking the spine of the symbiote but not the host and the Tok'ra screamed, his eyes flaring one time, then going dark.

"You shall die a slow and painful death as your penalty for giving refuge to an enemy of the system lords," she told the host, letting the man slump to the deck.

Arweax stared, unable to keep the horror from his face. He met the equally shocked faces of his men, and quickly glared at them, silently urging them to remain silent lest they too incur Osiris' wrath.

Osiris left the Tok'ra, moving to the Tau'ri woman, who had witnessed the whole event, silent tears sliding from her eyes, cutting a streak through the grime on her face. "And you, what shall I do with you?" she asked, pulling the woman to her feet. "Perhaps I shall give you to my Jaffa for their enjoyment before I deliver you to Anubis." Osiris turned her head slightly. "Arweax, would you and your men enjoy stripping the insolence from this crea—"

Her words cut off with a shocked gasp, her hands falling away from the Tau'ri woman. Surprisingly, the captive did not fall, she grabbed Osiris' arm, her blue eyes flashing with hatred and something that struck Arweax to his very soul.

He heard the Tau'ri woman growl, her lips twisted into a feral grimace as she pulled out Osiris' knife, throwing all her body weight into the next blow. The pair fell with the Tau'ri landing on top of Osiris. She pulled the knife out again and raised her arms, using both hands to plunge it into Osiris a third time and a fourth and a fifth. Arweax dashed forward, grabbing the Tau'ri's hands and stilling her stabbing. "No!" the woman screamed, scrabbling off Osiris, holding the bloody knife out in front of her with trembling hands, her quaking causing the blood to drip erratically off the blade of the knife, painting the black deck plates with garish artistry.

Arweax held out his hands, signaling his intent not to cause her harm. "I shall not hurt you," he promised. He looked to his men, glad to see shock and a tinge of hope upon their faces. "None of us here shall."

She did not believe him, her eyes darting around frantically as she backed away, trying to seek a way out.

Arweax motioned for his men to stay back, not wanting to frighten her more than she already was.

She reached Osiris' throne and used it to pull herself to her feet, still holding the knife in front of her. Arweax had to admire her courage, or acknowledge her desperation. She had to know she would be unable to hold off even one of them with her diminished strength and one puny knife.

"My ship," she gasped out, her blood smeared chest heaving as she hyperventilated, striving to stay conscious. "I just…" Her voice trailed off and she crumpled.

Arweax hurried forward, picking up the knife as it clattered out of her slack grasp. He laid his fingers along her neck, feeling an odd relief at the faint fluttering he found.

"Arweax?" Krata asked, he and the other three Jaffa moving forward, staring at the bloody mess that was now the peltac.

"She lives," Arweax reported.

"Lord Osiris is dead," Krata reminded.

Arweax looked to them, his gaze grave. "And is that a bad thing?" he asked seriously.

Krata stared at him for a second, then looked down. "I shall not grieve," he said, the rest of the men nodding in agreement.

"This one lives," Sekra said, kneeling over the Tok'ra.

"He shall not for much longer," Arweax said. "A host does not survive the death of its symbiote."

"What shall we do?" Makra asked.

"Lord Anubis shall give us sanctuary within his ranks," Krata said.

Arweax looked to them. "Do you truly wish to serve Anubis?" All of them looked down, signaling their fear of the Goa'uld. As cruel as Osiris was, they knew Anubis was far crueler.

Arweax stood up, his mind working furiously. He knew as soon as word of Osiris' death got out there would be dissension in the ranks, the Jaffa split between returning to their homes, seeking service with another god, or remaining loyal to Anubis. "This did not happen," Arweax declared.

"What?" Krata demanded.

"Remove Osiris' body to a stasis pod, place the human and Tok'ra in Osiris' chambers. No one but us shall be allowed on the peltac, by order of our lord Osiris," he said.

They stared at each other, contemplating the conspiracy. "We cannot maintain such subterfuge indefinitely," Makra said.

"We do not have to," Arweax said. "By rights, the Tau'ri has defeated Osiris in combat and is now our leader. We shall maintain our facade until she regains her wits and instructs us in her wishes."

"And if we do not agree with her wishes?" Krata asked pointedly.

"Then we shall remove her and take command of this ship ourselves," Arweax said. "It is time for the Jaffa to stop dying for the sake of false gods and to begin living for ourselves."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Warmth and softness enveloped her. She sighed softly, her ears seeking out the familiar noises of home. She heard no birds, no cars, just the omnipresent hum of engines and the breathing of another person.

Memories from the last two weeks flooding into her brain, she felt her heart start to pound. She opened her eyes, frowning at the sight of her luxurious surroundings.

"So, you do live," a voice said. Gasping, she turned her head, her eyes widening at the sight of a Jaffa sitting upon the end of the bed. "I was beginning to think you were not much longer for this world."

Startled, she sat up, moaning softly as the movement pulled on stinging burns. Belatedly she realized that she was naked and her hands clutched for the sheets, pulling them up to shield her from his gaze. "What the hell's going on?" she demanded, trying to pull the sheet free and secure it around her body. "Where's Osiris?"

He stood up, reaching to his waist. She watched as he pulled a knife from his belt, her muscles tensing in anticipation of a fight. He turned the knife around, handing it to her hilt first. "You slew her, quite dramatically I must say."

She took the knife, gripping it so tightly her knuckles turned white. "Thraken?"

"He lives," the Jaffa reported, motioning towards a figure lying on one of the divans across the room. He took a deliberate step back. "I do not think for much longer." With a final jerk, Sam pulled the sheet free and scooted off the bed, fumbling with controlling the yards of material while keeping the knife between her and the Jaffa. "Who are you?"

"My name is Arweax," he said. "First prime to Osiris…or more accurately, former first prime. I would not do that if I were you," he said, raising his voice slightly as she moved towards the door to the chamber. "No one beyond me and a few of my men know of recent events, and it may be best if it remains that way."

His voice was calm and Sam stopped, trying to deny that the room was spinning. This didn't make any sense. She'd seen this Arweax before, he'd taken her and Thraken from their cells a couple of times, stood stoically beside Osiris as she tortured them. He was the enemy…wasn't he?

She swayed and he stepped forward, easily controlling her hand holding the knife and leading her back to the bed. He set her down and backed away, strangely letting her keep the knife, his action proving to her just how little of a threat he considered her to be. "Why am I still alive?" she asked.

"You killed Osiris, by our laws you have rights to all her possessions and holdings," he said, taking a seat a few feet away.

Even though Osiris had always been in the body of a male, it seemed that the goa'uld had adopted the preferences if it's current, and apparently last host. The room was luxuriously furnished, two divans flanking a low open sided fire place, a pair of chairs and a table, seeming to be a small dinette set, one of which Arweax had pulled out from the table and was seated on. And finally the bed, complete with gilded posters and a thick feather mattress.

The ebony walls were adorned with brocaded tapestries and a small view screen was a mock window, framed by filmy white curtains.

"Osiris is serving Anubis. Shouldn't your loyalties switch to him? I mean, you could end up getting your own symbiote and pledge yourself to his cause."

"That is one way events can transpire," he said meaningfully. He frowned, studying her intently. "I tire of serving false gods," he confessed, watching her to gauge her reactions.

"What do you want?"

"Freedom for me and my men. If word of Osiris' death becomes known, there are many within this ship that will clamor to carry word of her death to Anubis and to deliver the murderer to him for justice. We shall be absorbed within his ranks and be subject to his whims."

"How many are loyal to you?" she asked.

"Six that I trust implicitly. Perhaps fifty more that I believe hold no loyalty to Anubis."

"You have a plan," she prompted.

He nodded. "I wish to purge this ship of all but those I trust and command it, not in the name of a god, but as a symbol of freedom for Jaffa. I wish to gather our families and leave this place, find somewhere out of the control of the goa'uld and live the lives of free men," he declared, his voice growing more sure and steady as he spoke. She could hear the idealism in his voice, the hope that she'd heard more than once from Teal'c or Bra'tac when they'd discussed freedom for their people.

Sam looked down, realizing that she was still holding the knife and set it down. "I'll be honest," she said after a second. "My people would love nothing more than to have me deliver a mother ship, but considering what's happened to all the others we've had, I don't care." She looked him in the eyes. "Thraken and I were transporting the possessions of an alien race when we…when we broke down. I want to complete my mission and go home. Allow me to do that, and the ship is yours," she promised, not wanting to question why she was choosing to deliver stuff that had likely been replaced by now before going home.

He nodded gravely and got to his feet. "It is a pact. You must remain in these quarters or be in the company of me or one of my men. I shall have sustenance brought to you."

"What about Thraken?" she said, carefully standing up, feeling the need to meet him as an equal not a puppet under his control.

"He yet lives, you may take him with you," he said.

"I want my pack, it has medicines in it. And I want some clothes," she said. He frowned. "The ship's not yours yet. I'm willing to hand it over, but I will not continue to be treated like a prisoner either."

He stared at her, then nodded. "As you wish," he said. He left the room, presumably to fulfill his promise and Sam sank down, gratefully sitting on the bed. Pushing shaking fingers through her hair she started to chuckle. The colonel was going to be pissed. Yet another mother ship they wouldn't be able to keep.

She didn't even notice when the chuckles turned into sobs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Arweax stood in the threshold of the chamber, studying the Tau'ri woman. She was seated on the edge of the large bed, carefully smearing some sort of ointment on the burns on the Tok'ra's chest. Surprisingly, the man was still alive, although he had yet to emerge from his catatonic state.

Despite her defiant attitude, the woman had spent the last few days cloistered in Osiris' chambers, either caring for the man, or resting herself, although Arweax believed her slumber was not voluntary given that he would most likely find her slumped over in a chair. Even after he and his men had rid the ship of the untrustworthy Jaffa, using the rings to forcibly send them down to a habitable planet a good two week's march from the chaappai, she remained sequestered in Osiris' chambers.

She'd said little beyond giving him directions to the new Salone home world and expressing her dislike of Osiris' choice of attire. Which was why she was now wearing a too large discarded shirt of one of his men over one of the goa'uld's outfits, creating a tunic and legging look.

Her feet were still bare and after watching her shiver occasionally, he'd altered the environmental settings of the room, making it much warmer than the rest of the ship.

"Major Carter," he said, addressing her as she'd requested. "We have finished delivering the…possessions. The Salones were most appreciative."

"That's nice," she said softly, gently caressing the Tok'ra's face. She stood up, turning her back on Thraken. "I was thinking. I want you to ring us down," she said.

"What?"

"Thraken needs help, more than I can give him. The planet has a Stargate, and I can take him somewhere," she said.

"The Salone's level of technology is far inferior to even our own. He will get no medical treatment there," Arweax said.

She took a deep breath. "He will with the Tok'ra," she confessed.

"You know how to locate the Tok'ra?" he asked, wondering why Osiris never sought to get the information from her.

She nodded. "Yeah. One of their planets anyway. If you could get someone to help me with Thraken, I'll take him to them and you can go get your families."

"I shall accompany you," he declared.

"What?"

"I have heard tales that the Tok'ra move frequently."

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Then it is possible that they will not be at the location where you think they are. And you shall require assistance with him."

She opened her mouth as if to protest, then slumped, obviously acknowledging that she was unable to handle a full grown, catatonic man. "I can't…" She ran her fingers through her hair and looked up to meet his eyes. "Their planet is a secret."

"I shall…I shall not look while you enter the coordinates," he offered. "You can preserve their secret."

"Why?" she asked. He raised his eyebrows in question. "Why trust me? Why trust them? You have to hate the Tok'ra."

"By all rights you should hate all Jaffa, yet you do not. I shall deliver you into the custody of friends, then I shall return and lead my people to retrieve our families and in search of a safer home."

"Thank you," she said.

"Do you require time to gather your possessions?"

She shook her head, nodding towards the small pile he and the other Jaffa had returned to her, items that they found on the teltac that did not match the cargo. "That's all I have."

"Then we shall leave now," he said, moving past her towards the bed where Thraken lay. He easily picked up the man, shifting him in his arms until he was a more comfortable burden while she slipped on a pair of Osiris' discarded shoes, items she chose not to wear on the ship citing that they did not fit her feet well enough for comfort.

He led her though the nearly empty halls to the ring room, taking a moment to instruct Makra in his plans, and to tell the man if he did not return in three days, to abandon him and concentrate on retrieving their families.

They ringed down to the planet a short distance from the chaappai. He was relieved to discover that night was falling on the planet, the impending darkness insuring that their journey not only may pass unnoticed, but possibly unobserved as well.

Major Carter quickly made her way to the dialing device and looked to him. Burdened as he was by the Tok'ra, he merely turned his back, allowing her privacy in which to enter the coordinates, turning back only as he heard the chaappai activate.

She looked to him, her face bathed in the pale blue light of the chaappai. "You better let me go first," she said. "They're a little leery of strangers."

He nodded his ascent and took his place behind her, following her through the watery surface. They exited the circle in the blinding sunlight and brutal heat of a desert planet. She paused, shading her eyes as he could do nothing but squint and try to clear his vision. "Jaffa, KREE!" a voice called out as several shapes melted from the sand, appearing with a suddenness that brought to his mind stories of apparitions and spirits.

She held up her hands, signaling her lack of threat. "I am Samantha Carter, once host of Jolinar and daughter of Jacob, host to Selmac. I seek sanctuary and assistance for myself and Thraken," she called out.

"Major Carter?" One of the guards removed a plain headdress that served to shield his head from the sun.

"Marnon?" she said,

"Yes. Who is the Jaffa?" the man said, his staff weapon held at the ready.

"This is Arweax, formerly first prime to Osiris. He helped us escape, and helped me bring Thraken back. He means you no harm."

"You brought a Jaffa to our base?" the man said.

"I did not observe the coordinates," Arweax said as one of the Tok'ra approached him, examining the man in his arms. "I do not know this world, nor shall I."

"Teson is dead," the man declared. "Thraken nearly so."

Marnon looked to Carter. "Osiris did it," she explained. "She did this too." She pulled the neck of her top down, revealing a stefla burn visible just under her collarbone. "Now can we go inside and discuss this or do we turn around and leave?"

Marnon turned, seeking permission from the rest, then lowered his staff weapon. "You are welcome, " he said, moving off, motioning for them to follow him.

His arms burdened with the bulk of the catatonic Tok'ra, Arweax could do nothing but follow as they led him into the secret world of the legendary resistance movement.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I have healed the wounds, but I fear many of the scars will remain for some time," Asha said, lowering the healing device and motioning for Sam to put her top back on.

"I guess my bikini will stay in the dresser drawer this year," Sam said, smiling at the woman's puzzled look. "Thank you," she said instead. "How is Thraken?"

Asha shook her head. "I fear for his survival. It is difficult to lose your symbiote, even more so to lose it so traumatically."

"Yeah," Sam agreed, a note of irony in her voice.

"Sam? Thank God you're ok." She turned, barely able to register the presence of her father before she was swept into a strangling hug.

"Dad," she muttered, wrapping her arms around him and soaking in his warmth.

"I couldn't believe it when they said you'd showed up," he said, pulling away from her a bit. "Where the hell have you been all this time?"

"It's a long story," she said.

"One I can't wait to hear, preferably over a steak and a beer or three."

She turned and smiled, relieved to see the rest of her team standing in the threshold of the chamber. "Colonel, Teal'c, Jonas, hi." She moved toward them.

"Everything ok?" Jack asked, frowning.

"Yeah, fine. I didn't expect to see you guys."

"When the Tok'ra informed Jacob Carter of your presence here, we traveled with all haste," Teal'c said.

"Really?" Sam asked, more pleased than she could show to see her friends. And more leery of the questions that they brought with them.

"Major Carter?" Sam turned to see Arweax entering the room, escorted by Marnon. The Tok'ra council had agreed to advise the Jaffa on a list of possible planets where he and his people could seek refuge.

"Arweax." She walked towards him, standing by his side. "Colonel, this is Arweax," she introduced. "Arweax, Colonel O'Neill, Jonas Quinn and Teal'c," she introduced.

Teal'c nodded, studying the man. "You serve Osiris," he said.

"Served," Sam corrected. Jack raised his eyebrows. "She's dead," she explained

"That long story just got longer," Jack said, shooting her a curious look as a Tok'ra Sam had never met stepped into the room, whispering something into Jacob's ear.

"And it may have to wait," the retired general said, a serious look on his face.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We've just received word that Anubis captured Yu," Jacob said as they all took seats in the Tok'ra version of a briefing room. "The goa'uld," he clarified with a sharp look at Jack.

"When?" Jack asked.

"A couple of weeks ago. Yu suffered heavy losses in the vicinity of Abydos and Anubis has pretty much had him on the run ever since."

"He's probably dead by now," Jack said.

Jacob shook his head. "I don't think so." He nodded and Selmac came forward. "Anubis stands to gain more from humiliating Yu or turning him to his side than he does from killing him. He will most likely torture Yu until he breaks, or perhaps until the symbiote dies and Anubis can implant one of his own that can masquerade as Yu."

Jacob nodded, allowing Selmac to speak. "Yu is the only system lord that stands in opposition to Anubis. As such, he has done much to stymie Anubis' advance across the universe. With Yu gone, there is nothing between Anubis and Earth."

"The Asgard—" Jonas started.

"Will only defend treaties they have orchestrated. Anubis never signed the protected planet's treaty and therefore is not bound by it. It is the opinion of the Tok'ra high council that Anubis will strike Earth, most likely within the next few planetary weeks."

"If Yu couldn't stop him before, what makes you think he could now?" Jonas asked.

"Many of the system lords are growing disillusioned with Anubis. He is not delivering upon his promises as they had hoped. It is possible that with a leader, they may rally and turn upon Anubis. Their combined might may be enough to topple Anubis," Selmac said.

"So, what's your plan?" Jack asked.

Jacob nodded, then shrugged. "To tell you the truth, Jack, we were sort of hoping you'd have an idea."

"You know, it's too bad Osiris is dead," Jonas said, earning him some odd looks. "What I mean is, Osiris was a trusted servant of Anubis' right?"

"That is correct," Teal'c confirmed.

"Anubis is not easily fooled and his holdings are vast," Arweax said. "He allows few into his presence, even fewer access to his prisoners."

"If Osiris was still alive, we could use her," Jonas said. "Well, who better to gain access to his inner circle than someone that's already been there," he explained to the quizzical looks from the others.

"Don't suppose he'd fall for the 'in a new host' thing?" Jack asked.

"That is not likely, O'Neill."

"Doctor Jackson didn't happen to have a picture of her or anything?" Jonas asked.

"What is your idea, Jonas Quinn?"

"Well, if those little devices could make a good enough picture of Colonel O'Neill to fool a security camera, surely they could fool Anubis."

"The imagers," Sam said. Jonas nodded. She shook her head. "You need more than a 2D representation, which is what a picture is, for it to look realistic."

Jack made a face. "It was worth a shot anyway."

"Would you have use for Osiris' body?" Arweax asked.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Her corpse is in stasis upon the ship," he said.

"Looking for a souvenir?" Jack asked.

Arweax frowned, then shook his head. "We kept it for no sentimental reason. It was said that Osiris' host was of the Tau'ri. I had planned to inquire if you wished the have it returned to you for whatever funerary rites necessary, however, the correct time had not presented itself yet."

"Carter," Jack asked, pulling Sam's focus back to the present. "Would it work?"

"What? Oh, yes, sir. If we can get a 3D scan of….it should be enough to reprogram one of the imagers," she said.

"Ok," Jack said, shooting his second in command a look. "We can play dress up. Now what?"

"Osiris visited Anubis many times," Arweax said. "We were never under surveillance. Anubis does not fear betrayal from one of his loyal servants."

"That arrogance may be our advantage," Teal'c said. "If Anubis truly does not fear betrayal from within, then our Osiris and her first prime may gain access to Yu and liberate him."

"Your plan would be even more credible were you to arrive in our ship," Arweax said. "Assuming my men agree with the mission."

"You have a ship?" Jacob asked.

"Yes," Arweax said. "Osiris no longer has use of it. It belongs to me and my men now." He turned back to the others. "Few of my men hold Anubis in any esteem, and most have felt the sting of his lash. I believe they would welcome a chance to strike at his heart."

"That's a damn sketchy plan, considering we have no idea if the imagers will work," Jack said.

"But it's a place to start," Jacob said. "How long will it take you to program one of these imagers?"

Sam shook her head. "Not long, assuming we can get the imagers from Earth. Then we'll just need to get the body and scan it. The one limitation is that the images don't last too long. We'll have to minimize Osiris' exposure to Anubis, keeping it to just minutes if we can."

"Jack, can you get these imager things?"

Jack nodded. "I think so. I'll need to clear it with Hammond and get them from Nellis. Four, five hours minimum."

Jacob rolled his eyes. "It'll probably take that long for me to convince the council."

"And likely that length of time for me to confer with my men," Arweax said.

"We'll split up then," Jack said, getting to his feet. "Carter, you want to come back, get a shower and something to eat before we go?"

Sam shook her head. "Actually, it might be best if I go with Arweax, sir," she said. "His men may not be as open about the Tok'ra as he is."

"Major Carter, perhaps I should accompany you," Teal'c said, his tone more commanding than suggesting. "I would like to meet these free Jaffa."

"Jonas, why don't you go too," Jack suggested. "Where is your ship?" he asked Arweax.

"It is in orbit of another planet, Major Carter was reluctant to reveal the location of the Tok'ra base, thus we traveled here alone through the Chaappai."

"Leave us the address," Jack ordered. "Jacob and I will follow in a few hours."

"Yes, sir," Sam said as they all started to file from the room.

"Carter?" Jack said, moving to stand by her. "Are you ok?" he asked seriously.

She nodded, smiling a bit. "I'm fine."

"Ok," he said after a few seconds of close appraisal. He broke off, just as she was ready to squirm under his scrutiny. "Catch a few Z's while you wait," he suggested. "You look like you could use them."

She smiled and followed him down the corridor as they all made their way to the Stargate and their separate destinations.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jonas walked down the gilded halls of the hatak, really hoping that this hatak had a similar layout to the one whose plans he memorized months ago. If it didn't, well he figured if he walked in circles long enough he'd either find his way or someone would take pity on him and show him back to the peltac.

It hadn't taken Arweax long to talk to his men and convince them to agree with the mission to liberate Yu. Oddly enough, they hadn't seemed to have cared much about saving the goa'uld but rather embraced the fact that, if successful, they could knock Anubis for a loop. There was nothing like revenge to motivate the troops.

He'd left Teal'c talking to some of the Jaffa, telling them about the rebellion and Jonas imagined, some of SG-1's exploits over the past few years. Almost immediately after arrival, Sam had separated from them, pleading tiredness and saying that she was going to go take a nap in Osiris' private quarters.

Her words had surprised him, it wasn't often that he remembered the major admitting to a weakness of any type. She'd been quiet during their short trip to the ship, very subdued and rather evasive when he and Teal'c pressed her about details of her weeks away.

Something told him that a lot had happened while she'd been in Osiris' custody, something that she really didn't want to talk about.

Turning a corner, he groaned softly, realizing that he was nowhere near the peltac, rather it looked more like the barracks area of the ship. The walls were now plain, rough black material and the torches were further apart than in the higher levels.

Spying an open door, he peeked in, recognizing a cell similar to the one he and the rest of SG-1 had been held in on their way to meet with Khonsu. He turned, then turned back as his eyes caught sight of something.

Entering the cell, he knelt down, picking up a small piece of cloth. The black material was torn and stiff, sections of it stained with some sort of dried substance. He rubbed a clean part between his fingers, then stuck his other hand under his jacket, not surprised when the material of his t-shirt felt the same.

"You should not be down here."

He yelped and turned, nearly losing his balance and falling into a graceless heap. "Arweax, you startled me," he said, getting to his feet.

"It would be best if you and your friends remained on the upper levels of the ship. We have discussed the possibilities of deactivating the life support for the levels we do not need. It would me most unfortunate if you were on one of those levels at that time."

"Yeah, I guess that would be unfortunate," Jonas agreed, shoving the bit of rag into his pocket. He exited the cell and Arweax closed the door behind him. "Any word from Colonel O'Neill?" he asked as the Jaffa escorted him towards the ring room that would carry them to the upper levels.

"Yes, he had returned from your world and requests you meet him on the peltac."

"Then I guess I better get up there," Jonas said.

"Indeed," Arweax answered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jack walked beside Jacob as they made their way through the halls towards the peltac of the ship. Teal'c had met them at the ring room and was escorting them to their destination. "Lemme guess," Jack quipped. "Tok'ra said yes," he said to Jacob.

"No, Jack, I'm just here for my health," the general retorted.

Jack shrugged. "What's the plan if Carter can't reprogram these little gizmos?"

"We could fall back on the 'new host' idea," he said.

Jack shrugged, not too enthused about the idea, but unable to come up with something better. "Why didn't you tell us about Carter?" he asked abruptly.

"What do you mean?" Jacob said.

"Many members of the SGC have been most worried about Major Carter's status," Teal'c said.

"Yeah," Jack agreed. "If she wanted to hang with you a while, that's fine, but is a phone call too much to ask."

"Jack, what the hell are you going on about?" Jacob demanded.

Jack stopped, a sinking feeling hitting his stomach. "How long ago did she show up?" he asked.

"Yesterday," Jacob said. "I got word and returned to the planet about fifteen minutes before you guys showed up."

Jack looked to Teal'c. "We just…assumed she'd….If she's only been with the Tok'ra for a day, where the hell has she been for the past month?"

"I don't know," Jacob said seriously.

"Perhaps asking Major Carter would be a more efficient use of our time than speculating," Teal'c said.

Jack snorted. "Blood from a turnip," he muttered as they arrived at the peltac. Jack walked onto the bridge, raising his eyebrows at Jonas, who was sitting on Osiris' throne, his journal balanced on his knees. "Where's Carter?"

The Kelownan jerked his thumb towards the closed door. "Asleep."

Jack looked to Teal'c who frowned slightly. "She actually followed my order?"

Jonas nodded. "She's been in there ever since we arrived."

Jack shook his head, moving to hand Jonas one of the bags he was carrying. "The eggheads at Area 51 said this scanner would work on Osiris." He turned. "Arweax, can you take them down to where you have the body stashed?" The jaffa nodded his assent.

"Jack, we're at least a day away from Anubis' last reported position. The sooner we leave," Jacob reminded.

"Do it," Jack ordered. "Teal'c, go with Jonas." The three men left and Jack shot Jacob a look, sighing when the man simply smiled encouragingly and turned his attention to the Jaffa manning the controls of the ship.

Jack entered Osiris' chambers, taking a moment to study the surroundings before his eyes settled on the bed that dominated one wall.

Carter was asleep, curled up in the middle of the big bed. He studied her face, noting the harsher angles of her cheekbones, the prominence of her collarbone.

She still wore the outfit she had when he'd last seen her, but now the long sleeves of her shirt had ridden up, exposing fading red rings around her wrists. "Damn," he cursed softly, reaching out to give her a shake, knowing that it was time for him to find out the truth.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam slowly opened her eyes, blinking to clear her blurry vision. "Colonel?"

"Have a nice nap?" he asked, leaning back and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"What time is it?" she asked, moving to sit up in the bed, leaning her back against the headboard.

He looked to his watch. "1945 Earth side. According to Jonas, you've been asleep for the past four hours or so." She scrubbed her face with her hands, attempting to clear the cobwebs. She felt drugged, a feeling she recognized from deep, dreamless sleep. The last time she'd felt this tired had been after she used the healing device on Cronos. Maybe it had the same effect on the recipients as it did the users?

She felt the ship shudder and looked to him. "We got the stuff," he said, answering her silent question.

She started to scoot off the bed. "I better go help…" She stopped when he put out a restraining hand.

"I think it's time we had a little chat," he said, his face and expression serious.

"Colonel, the sooner I get started…"

"Aah," he cut her off. "You've been missing for three weeks. I need to know what's happened."

"Sir, I…"

"Carter, I have to know," he insisted, reaching down to pull up her sleeves, revealing the partly healed rope burns. "Something tells me you and Thraken didn't spend your time at the beach."

Her shoulders slumped and she pulled her wrist back, self-consciously rubbing them. "No," she said. "The teltac broke down. Before we could fix it, Osiris found us, it was just wrong place, wrong time." She broke off, looking past him and focusing on the far wall.

"And?" he prodded after a minute.

"It's really been three weeks?" she asked.

"Yeah," he confirmed softly.

"It doesn't seem like that long."

"Carter?" he prodded again.

"She really didn't like me," she said, finally looking at him. "She never wanted to know anything, never asked any questions, just…" She closed her eyes and broke off, unable to give her memories voice.

"You should have told me," he said, not pressing her further.

"Colonel, I'm fine. The Tok'ra…"

"You should be home right now, not going on a mission," he said, cutting her off. He got to his feet. "As soon as you program the imager, that's it. You're staying here. Jacob will play Osiris."

"But Arweax—"

"Will get over it," he cut her off harshly. "Sam," he continued, his voice softer. "You need to decompress." He held up his hand to silence her protest. "Take it from someone that knows. You do your part, then sit back and let us do the rest."

"Ok," she agreed.

He crossed the room and picked up the bag he'd discarded earlier, bringing it back to her. "I grabbed some stuff while I was back at the SGC. Raided your locker and your lab. Figured you were probably tired of hand me downs."

"Thanks," she said, opening the pack and starting to get through it. He turned to leave, obviously giving her some privacy to change. "Colonel?" He turned back. "Thank you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"That should do it," Sam said, setting down her precision screwdriver. She carefully put the alien device back together and held it up to show Teal'c.

"I believe your reprogramming skill is honed each time you perform the procedure," Teal'c said.

She smiled slightly. "Practice really does make perfect. Now we just need to make sure it works." She affixed the device to her palm and stood up, posing a bit. "Well?" He stared, shock flitting across his face. "What?"

He crossed the small room and laid his hands on her shoulders, gently guiding her to face one of the walls. "You were successful in reprogramming the device, however I do not believe this image shall be sufficient to fool Anubis," he said, supplying more of a studying hand as her mind registered her appearance.

Speechless, she raised her hand, trailing her fingers over her chest, feeling the smooth material of her t-shirt but seeing the torn and bloody flesh of Osiris' chest.

Rage and fear coursing through her veins. The cool hilt of the dagger clasped in her hand. Metal scraping against bone, making a sucking sound as she pulled it out, and a squishing sound as she plunged it back in. Hot blood spurting from jagged tears, running down her face like tears she was unable to shed.

A gentle shake pulled her from her memories. "Perhaps another option," Teal'c suggested, guiding her back to the work table and pulling the imager from her palm.

Her hands shaking, she took it from him. "Yeah."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"No," Jack said loudly, not caring about the looks the other people in the room shot him.

"Colonel…"

"Carter, we already discussed it. Jacob will wear the imager."

"Sir, that's not going to work," she said.

"You said—"

"O'Neill," Teal'c interrupted. "The mirage the imager projects is only as valid as its source. The template of Osiris is fatally flawed. Major Carter's suggestion is the only viable option left to us."

Jack looked to Jonas. "It was a bit of a mess, Colonel," he said.

"We'll just redress the body in something else and rescan it," Jack said.

Arweax shook his head. "I do not recall any item of Osiris' wardrobe being sufficient enough to cover damage of this magnitude."

"And with it configured this way, theoretically the illusion should last longer," Sam said. "The longest we ever got a full body image to last was six minutes. This one should last at least an hour."

"So, what's your plan?" Jacob asked.

Sam held up the tiny device. "I manipulated the imager to reproduce Osiris' face and her voice pattern from some recordings Arweax provided. Physically, Osiris and I are close enough that we should basically be able to paste her head onto my body. If Arweax goes with me, it should be enough to fool Anubis," she explained.

"You'll need a lotar," Jonas said.

"What?" Jack asked.

"Well, don't all goa'uld have lotar's?" He looked to Arweax.

"Osiris did not have one," Arweax said. "She never found a human that appealed to her."

"She has now," Jack said, jumping at the chance to send someone else along with Sam.

"I'll go too," Jacob spoke up. "I already have a cover in place as Galen, a loyal servant of Yu. It wouldn't be unexpected for me to now pledge my loyalty to Anubis. That can be the reason for Osiris' visit."

"I have knowledge of the location of the detention cells upon Anubis' ship. It will not be difficult to enter the ship, liberate Yu and exit without being observed," Arweax said.

Jack looked to Teal'c and rolled his eyes. "Famous last words," he quipped. "Jacob, what's our ETA?"

"About two hours, assuming Anubis hasn't moved to a new location."

"Ok, Jacob, you, Jonas and Carter get dressed, Arweax, I want you and Teal'c to go over the layout of Anubis' ship and come up with some contingency plans, just in case Murphy is in the neighborhood. Teal'c will explain," he said in response to the Jaffa's puzzled look.

"And you?" Jacob asked as Jack got to his feet.

"I'm going to go find some drugs for the big honkin headache that this whole mission has become."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jonas gingerly walked around the room, wincing as the leather of the pants bit into his skin. "Anubis better not offer us lunch or anything," he said.

"And it's probably for the best that lotars never sit in the presence of their masters," Jacob quipped, biting back a smile as he also struggled with his costume. Both of them were at the mercy of various odds and ends of apparel that the Jaffa had left behind or had in their possessions. Which meant that a good portion of it was far too large or nothing close to what a goa'uld, even a minor goa'uld like Galen should be wearing. "You could hurt yourself."

Jacob had managed to find a shirt that looked goa'uldish enough but he was just going to have to hope that no one on Anubis' ship was going to look closely enough to recognize the Tok'ra issue pants and boots he was wearing.

Jonas picked up a leather vest and slipped it on as Jacob tidied the room, picking up their discarded clothes off the floor and laying them across one of the bunks. As he tossed Jonas' jacket down, a piece of cloth fluttered out of the pocket, falling to the floor. He picked it up, frowning as he recognized it as part of the SGC's standard uniform. "Jonas, what's this?" he asked.

'Blood,' Selmac supplied.

Jonas turned then shrugged. "I don't know for sure. I found it on one of the lower levels, in a cell I think."

'Stefla,' Selmac said as Jacob's fingers explored a hole in the shirt, the edges ragged and stiff.

'It's Sam's.'

'I know of no other Tau'ri Osiris has captured,' Selmac said. 'I'm sorry, Jacob.'

'Jack was right,' Jacob said, his stomach roiling with the revelation. 'We should have looked for her as soon as we knew she was missing.'

'You had no way to know,' Selmac soothed. 'And even if you had been there, it is highly unlikely that one unarmed teltac could have done much but been captured along with her.'

"Jacob?" Jonas called out his name, pulling him from his inner conversation. "Are you all right?"

"Fine," Jacob said. The ship gave a slight lurch.

"I think we're there," Jonas said, shrugging to settle the leather vest over his chest.

"Yeah, let's get this show on the road," Jacob agreed, shoving the scrap of material into his pocket. 'Sam and I need to have a little talk,' he promised to Selmac.

'After, Jacob. Not before,' the symbiote advised. 'A distraction now can be deadly.'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"My kingdom for a safety pin," Sam muttered, trying to find a way to keep the long duster closed. "Where did she shop, sluts are us," she muttered, finding a broach and using it as a clasp.

She'd spent the last hour digging through Osiris' chests of clothes, trying to find something more concealing than her usual costumes. All in all, she hadn't had much luck, the most concealing item being a voluminous red duster that she wore over a pair of black pants and black boots.

She picked up the imager and moved to the mirror, pressing the device into her palm. Immediately her reflection flickered and she watched herself morph into Osiris. Curious, she raised her palm noting that she could still see the device. She'd have to stick it under her jacket and hope that Anubis didn't scan for energy signatures.

She pulled aside the jacket and ran her fingers over the scars the Tok'ra healer hadn't been able to remove. These were going to be hard to explain when she got back. Janet was going to have a cow, she thought. And she'd put it in the reports and then everyone would know.

That was the part she was looking forward to the least. Eventually she'd have to put it all down on paper. Every word, every action, everything. And then she'd have to talk to Mackenzie and try and convince him that she wasn't nuts. It might be easier to convince Hammond and the colonel that she hadn't divulged anything, but she knew there were those that'd never believe it, that would put her down as 'compromised' again.

She wondered if it was even worth going back. She could stay with the Tok'ra and if their 'you could become a host' urging ever got to be too much, hell she knew dozens of habitable planets where she could go live. Places where there were no psychiatrists, no reports, where no one would know who she was. Blessed anonymity.

"Carter?" She turned to see Jack standing in the threshold. "Damn," he muttered, his hand instinctively going to his sidearm. "Warn me next time," he requested.

"What? Oh, sorry." She pulled the imager of her palm, disabling the mirage.

"We're there," he said. She nodded and picked up the dagger off the table then walked towards him, stopping when he gently grabbed her arm. "You up for this?" he asked seriously.

She sighed and nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Ok," he said, letting go of her arm. "If it hits the fan, screw Yu. You guys get the hell out of there," he advised.

She smiled. "We'll be ok," she promised.

"Damn well better be," he groused. "I still have to finish the paperwork from the last time."

She chuckled, recognizing his attempt at easing the tension. "I hope you did it right, sir," she said as Jonas and her father walked onto the peltac. "I don't want to get cheated out of my overtime."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Arweax stood with the two humans and the Tok'ra in the ring room. "It is best if I speak," he instructed. "Osiris did not often acknowledge the presence of underlings. Do not be surprised if we are separated, Anubis does not possess a lotar and may not wish to allow one into his presence. He will allow Osiris and Galen. Jonas Quinn and I shall attempt to locate and liberate Yu."

Jacob nodded. "If that happens, use this." He handed each of them a small device. "It's like a pager," he explained to Sam and Jonas. "If it activates, we've either gotten Yu or it's time to retreat."

They each took the device, slipping it into pockets or otherwise concealing it.

"You kids ready?" Jack asked.

Jacob looked at the other three, then nodded. "We'll keep the lights on." Jack nodded to Teal'c and the rings activated, sending them over to Anubis' ship.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They materialized in a room that was identical to the one they'd just left. Arweax stepped forward, privately pleased to see K'Tan, Anubis' second in command. It was possible that Anubis was absent at the moment, a fact that could only aid them.

"K'Tan," he acknowledged. "Lord Osiris seeks an audience with Lord Anubis."

"Who else accompanies Lord Osiris?" he asked, not instructing his guards to stand down.

"This is Galen, once subject of Yu, he seeks now to acknowledge the error of his ways and pledge his loyalty to Lord Anubis."

"And this?" K'Tan moved closer, studying Jonas intently. "Lord Anubis does not accept gifts of this nature."

"He's mine," Sam growled, glaring at the Jaffa. "Should you desire one, I suggest you go get your own, preferably after you escort us to Anubis. Unless you wish me to inform him about your insolent nature."

K'Tan glared at her, then nodded, stepping back. "My apologies," he said, the tone saying anything but. "My Lord Anubis just now returned to us and left instructions not to be disturbed. However, if you wish to wait, I am sure he shall see you shortly."

"Very well," Sam said after a moment. K'Tan nodded and stepped back, motioning for them to precede him. Flanked by Jaffa, they were led down several long corridors until they arrived at a large room.

"I shall inform Lord Anubis of your presence," K'Tan said before turning on his heel and leaving them alone.

As the door slid shut, the four of them clustered together to speak and lessen the chance of being overheard. "Where are the detention cells?" Jacob asked.

"Four levels down. Anubis' throne room is six levels up."

"Not the peltac?" Sam asked.

Arweax shook his head. "He has never received us on the peltac."

Sam nodded and sighed. "Now what?" she whispered.

"We shall go. With any luck we will be able to liberate Yu before you are called to Anubis' presence," he said softly. "I believe, my Queen, that you are famished," he said, raising his voice.

"Indeed," she agreed, moving to lounge upon one of the divans. "Fetch me nourishment," she ordered. "Arweax, accompany this child, insure that he does not tarry. I am in no desire to wait."

Arweax nodded and went to the door, Jonas trailing behind him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam walked around the room, trying not to look like she was pacing nervously, which is exactly what she was doing. They'd already been kept waiting for nearly half an hour and she was becoming more and more aware that every second Anubis kept them waiting was a second closer to the time limit on the imager. Her fingers trailed over the small device that Jacob had given them, willing it to begin to vibrate signaling that Yu had been found and released and that it was time for them to get the hell out of there.

The door slid open, revealing K'Tan and telling her in an instant that they were definitely going to be going for plan B. "Anubis will see you now," he said.

"Finally," Sam muttered, flipping the hem of her duster dramatically.

K'Tan nodded blandly and led them from the room and down the corridor. Sam's heels clicked on the floor as she fought to keep her pace calm and her head held high.

K'Tan led the pair into a ring room and transported them up several levels. He then opened a door and stood aside, motioning for them to precede him.

Her heart pounding in her chest and a cold sweat running down her spine, Sam led Jacob into the room. It was dark, only some flickering torches, candelabra, and a large open-sided fire pit in front of the throne illuminating the area. Anubis was seated on a large throne, draped with a rich dark cloth. His features and body were shrouded with a bulky cape and cowl making his hands, curled over the arms of the throne, the only really recognizable part of his body.

Rather enjoying the fact that there was no Jaffa pushing her to her knees, Sam stepped forward, trying to look subserviently arrogant. "My Lord Anubis," she said, inclining her head.

"Osiris," he drawled. "You dare to show yourself in my presence."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Arweax led Jonas through the corridors, bristling at the escort that trailed behind them. This had never happened before, but he had also never explored Anubis' ship while not in the presence of his queen either.

"Here," the Jaffa barked, guiding them to a door. "You may find nourishment for your master here."

They entered the room and Jonas looked around, picking up and studying various fruits and vegetables. "This won't do," he said.

"What do you mean?" the Jaffa asked.

Jonas met Arweax's eyes then moved towards the Jaffa. Only two guards had followed them into the chamber, and Arweax sensed that the human had decided to disable their escort. "This is a mango," the human said. "My Queen will not eat mangos."

"Then select something different," the Jaffa said.

"I see little here that is appropriate to my Queen," Arweax said.

"This nourishment is of sufficient quality for Anubis, surely it is also appropriate for Osiris," the Jaffa sneered.

"Maybe," Jonas said, cocking his arm and throwing the mango at the Jaffa. It struck him in the face and he howled, instinctively raising his hands to cradle his streaming nose. In the same instant, Arweax dove at the second Jaffa, efficiently grabbing the man's head and giving it a vicious twist, the snap of his neck sounding horribly loud in the small room.

He turned to see Jonas finishing off the other Jaffa, felling the man with a knee to the gut and a double-fisted blow to the back of his head. "Sam hates mangos," he muttered, turning to Arweax, his chest heaving.

"Come," Arweax said, dragging one of the bodies away from the door. "The cells are two levels down."

They slipped out into the hall and, using the double walls, managed to make their way undetected to the ring room. "Use of the transporters is monitored. We will not have long to locate Yu," he said as Jonas stood in the transportation device.

He pushed the controls and the rings activated, sending them to a level much like the one they'd just left, only this one did not have the double walls or gilded panels. It was darker, the torches further apart and places higher on the walls, well out of the reach of a struggling prisoner.

Arweax stretched, wrenching one of the torches off the wall. He hurriedly made his way from cell to cell, peering into each room. Jonas trailed behind him, occasionally looking back down the hall, alert for any sign of resistance. "Here," Arweax said. "I need to find the controls for the door."

"No," Jonas said, reaching to his belt. He pulled out a small device, motioning for Arweax to stand aside. He shoved it into the lock and then stepped back as the device activated, a small flash and puff of smoke appearing from the lock. "Careful, it's hot," he said, pulling the door open.

Arweax entered the cell as Yu struggled to his feet. The goa'uld's hands shook, his once fine apparel in tatters, torn and stained. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

"Come," Arweax ordered.

"We're here to rescue you," Jonas said.

"Who are you?" Yu asked, making no move to join them. "What manner of trick is this?"

Arweax's arm shot out, striking the goa'uld and catching him as he fell. "Why'd you do that?" Jonas demanded as the Jaffa slung the goa'uld over his shoulder.

"We do not have time for this," Arweax said, pushing past Jonas and out into the hall. Jonas followed him, pulling the ruined cell door closed. "Signal the others. We must leave, now," he said, jogging into the ring room.

Jonas pushed the button on the pager device, then activated the rings, jogging to join Arweax on the platform as they were swept away in a brilliant flash of light.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jacob's heart lurched at Anubis' question. 'Sel?'

'I do not know,' the symbiote replied.

'Help me out here,' he said, willing the symbiote to take control, yet channel Jacob's own thoughts. "She is here at my request," he said, stepping forward, putting himself between Sam and Anubis.

"And you are?"

"I am Galen, once a servant of Yu," he introduced.

Anubis leaned back in the throne, what little Jacob could see of his posture indicating boredom. "And you are here to plead for his release," he said.

"Not at all," Jacob corrected. "Yu and I did share many interests, however I did not agree with his refusal to support you."

"Why have I never heard of this?"

"As I'm sure you can imagine, Yu is not too fond of his servants betraying him," Jacob said.

"And so you have come to generously offer to rule his holdings," Anubis said.

"Not at all," Jacob said. "I have come to pledge my loyalty to you," he said, kneeling down. The small device in his pocket buzzed and his heart jumped. 'Now what?' he asked Selmac.

'It will not be long before Anubis knows that Yu has escaped. We need to flee, now!' the symbiote urged.

'No shit Dick Tracy.'

"That still does not explain why you come to me in the presence of this hataka," Anubis said, getting to his feet. "Who has yet to succeed in any task I have given her, no matter how menial."

The clanging of an alarm cut through the air and Jacob shot to his feet, knowing that it could only mean one thing.

"RUN!" Sam yelled as something whistled past his ear. He saw one of the large candelabra fly through the air, the candles scattering, throwing droplets of wax in every direction. The goa'uld roared and Jacob reached out, ignoring the searing pain as he tipped the fire pit over, the coals spilling onto the floor. Sam's hand scrabbled for his sleeve and pulled him away as Anubis' cloak caught fire. They dashed from the room, the goa'uld's roar of pain echoed in their ears as they ran full tilt down the corridor. Just as they reached the ring room, staff blasts struck the wall next to them. Sam's heel caught on the edge of her duster and she fell. Hearing the Jaffa coming closer, Jacob harshly pulled her to her feet, flinging her towards the rings as his hands flew over the controls.

Throwing himself into the ring system, he reached under his jacket, pulling out a grenade, removing the pin and lobbing it out into the hall as the rings popped up from the floor, the beam sending them to the relative safety of their ship.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jack stood in the ring room, his P-90 at the ready. "I want him under guard," he told Jonas as Arweax walked past them, still carrying the unconscious form of Yu.

"Colonel?"

"He's a goa'uld, Jonas. I don't trust him any further than I can throw him. Arweax either," he said softer.

"Yes, sir," the Kelownan replied, hurrying to catch up with the pair.

Jack watched them go really wishing that they had more people with them. So far, Arweax's men had treated them fairly, most preferring to simply stay out of the humans' way, but he still wasn't ready to turn his backs on them.

Which was why Teal'c was up on the peltac, to insure that as soon as Carter and Jacob got back here, no one got the wise idea to throw their lot in with Anubis.

"O'Neill," Teal'c's voice boomed through the loud speakers. "Anubis' ship is moving into attack position."

The rings activate and Jack raised his weapon. "We got company coming," he said as the rings swept up from the floor. They retreated, leaving Carter and Jacob sprawled on the floor.

"Get us out of here now!" Jacob yelled.

"Teal'c, go!" Jack called into the open comm link. The ship lurched and Jack was forced to put his hand out to keep himself from being flung to the floor.

"We have entered hyperspace," Teal'c reported a few seconds later. "I do not believe we were pursued."

"Good job," Jack said, helping Sam to her feet. "You two ok?"

"Yes, sir," Sam said, nodding as she straightened her coat.

"I'm just glad Selmac's around," Jake said, cradling his burnt hand with his other.

"Dad." Sam crossed to him. "We need to take care of that."

"Selmac already is," he said, brushing her off. "Sam, why don't you go get changed," he said. "I think Jack and I need to go have a little talk with Yu."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yu opened his eyes, frowning at the sight of Galen standing over him, a healing device still held in the man's hand. "Galen," he said, forcing himself to sit up.

"You are no longer a prisoner of Anubis," he said, stepping back.

"Why?" Yu asked, studying the man intently. "You could have taken control of my holdings. Anubis would not have challenged you if you did not challenge him."

"If I wished to take control of your holdings, I would have already," Galen said.

"Then why?" Yu demanded, struggling to his feet.

"Cause we made him," a voice said. Yu turned, surprised to see one of the Tau'ri step from the shadows.

"O'Neill," he said, recognizing the man from their brief encounter during the treaty signing.

"Hey, Yu," he said lightly, waving roguishly.

He turned to Galen. "Explain," he demanded.

"Galen here needed help to spring you. And since it's in both of our best interests to keep Anubis off balance, we agreed," the human said.

"This is not one of my ships."

"No. It is not," Galen said.

"It is ours." A Jaffa spoke.

"Since when do Jaffa command a hatak ship?" Yu asked.

"New times, new ideas," O'Neill said. "Without their help, you'd still be in that cell waiting for whatever Anubis had planned for you."

"What do you want?" Yu demanded.

"Who said we want anything?" O'Neill said.

"I do not believe that Galen rescued me out of loyalty, any more than I can believe Jaffa would band with humans to save a goa'uld, unless they felt they would receive something of value from the action."

"We've got this phrase on Earth," O'Neill said. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Every ship of Anubis' you trash is one less he can send to Earth. We'll take you to a planet of your choice, ring you down and you'll let us go."

"And?"

O'Neill shrugged. "That's it." Yu looked at him skeptically. "The next time you run across some humans you may want to give them some leeway, but…" He trailed off with a shrug.

Yu studied them for a moment, then nodded, sitting back down upon the bed. "Galen, I wish to go to Iblis," he said, naming a planet on the fringes of his empire. While he may accept the aid of these people in gaining his freedom and returning home, he still did not trust them enough to allow them access to the inner sanctum of his holdings.

Galen got to his feet. "As you wish," he said to Yu, then turned to face the others. "I'll give you the coordinates."

"It'd probably be best if you stayed in here," O'Neill said.

"I am your prisoner?" Yu bristled.

The human shook his head. "No. But I got a handful of Jaffa out there that might not take too kindly to a goa'uld wandering around the ship. The fewer people that know you're here, the easier it'll be to spin the yarn about how you escaped from Anubis' clutches single-handedly."

"I wish to rest," Yu said, leaning back on the bed. "Galen, inform me when we arrive at Iblis," he said, giving his assent to their plan.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam pulled her t-shirt over her head and ran her fingers through her damp hair. Thank God Osiris either catered to her host's likely preference for hot baths, or had a latent memory of the symbiote's watery origins, either way, the deep bath tub and seemingly endless amount of hot water was a godsend.

She'd spent the last couple of hours soaking in the steaming water, letting the warmth seep into her bones. She'd only gotten out after nearly falling asleep and slipping under the water.

"Sam? You decent?" She turned to see her father stepping into the room.

"Yeah." He walked towards her, moving to pull her into a loose hug. "What's up?"

"I'm probably going to have to go with Yu," he said. "That's what he'd expect of his 'loyal servant'. Before I go, I think we need to talk," he said seriously, pulling her towards the bed.

"About what?"

He reached out and pulled the neck of her t-shirt down, revealing one of the scars. "This," he said softly.

She reached up, pulling his hand away. "Dad," she protested.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"It's not your fault."

"Jack knew," he said.

"What?"

"As soon as you didn't show up at the rendezvous, he knew something was wrong. He wanted us to go and look." He squeezed her hand tightly and looked her in the eyes. "I wouldn't let him."

She shook her head. "I don't understand."

"We needed the ships to re-supply a base of ours. I told him no, that if you hadn't showed up by the time we were done, then we'd go look, but by then…"

"Dad, Osiris' ship was on top of us within minutes. You couldn't have done anything," she said, absolving him.

"You're going to have to tell them, you know," he said, changing the subject.

She shook her head. "Dad…"

"Sam," he interrupted. "They need to know, and YOU need to tell them. You can't keep ignoring what happened."

She closed her eyes, turning her head away. "It's over with. It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does," he insisted.

"No!"

"Sam—"

"What?" she demanded, pulling away from him and getting to her feet. "What do you want to know? How many times that bitch hit me? Or how long she'd hold that damned stick over me? How she laughed at me when I screamed? Or the time she kicked me in the gut because I threw up on her shoes? Why don't you ask Arweax? He was there. He watched the whole goddamn thing."

"Sam," Jacob stood up.

"No. You want the details? Fine. I don't know how many times she hit me because I can't remember them all. She'd use that damned thing on me until I passed out, then days or hours later she'd have me brought back to her and she'd do it again, and again and again.

Did I compromise anything? Did I tell her anything important? No. I didn't. How do I know that? The bitch never asked me a single question. She didn't care. She didn't want iris codes or the location of the Tok'ra because she didn't give a damn, all she cared about was making my life a living hell."

She turned and stalked away from him, spinning back on her heel. "Come on," she ordered.

"Sam, what are you doing?" he asked.

"I should show it to you. Maybe they didn't clean it all up. The blood might still be there," she said angrily. "Maybe she had cameras. Maybe they recorded it. You could watch it. Hell, Jonas might have even brought some popcorn, we could have a movie night."

"Sam." He took her arms.

"NO!" she yelled, pulling away from him. "No, wait. You want me to reenact it?" She dashed past him, grabbing the dagger off the table. She ripped it from its sheath. "Do you want me to show you how I killed her after she murdered Teson in cold blood? Do you know what she was going to do? She was going to hand me over to her Jaffa, so I killed her... with this. And I don't care. I'm glad I did it. I enjoyed it. I only wish I could have done it a few more times to make her pay because she didn't deserve to live."

"Sam?" He grabbed her again, this time using Selmac's strength to keep her from pulling away. She yelled and fought, trying to free herself. Before her eyes, the face of her father faded away, replaced by the leering visage of her tormentor. Fear swarmed over her and she fought harder, not caring about the bruises she could feel forming. Not again. She wasn't going to do it again. "SAM!" A voice and a harsh slap cut through her fear, pulling her back to the present.

Like a puppet with its strings cut, she fell against him, the daggar falling to the deck with a dull clatter. Warm arms wrapped around her and held her in a tight embrace as tears streamed from her eyes. "It's ok, baby, it's ok," he crooned, rocking her gently.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jack knocked then tentatively stepped into Osiris' quarters. He'd peeked in about an hour before but quickly backed out not wanting to invade their privacy. Jacob had hinted to him what he was going to do and it looked like it worked, the man had finally broken through Carter's wall.

Jacob looked up and motioned for Jack to come closer. He was seated on the bed and Jack could see Sam beside him, curled up, obviously asleep. "We've arrived at Iblis," Jack whispered.

Jacob nodded, absently stroking her hair. "When she was little, she used to vanish for hours. We'd never know where to find her. Usually she'd grab a book and find some quiet corner and just read. Her mother used to worry, always be on the verge of calling the police. I'd always stop her, tell her that Sam knew when dinner was and that she'd be home." He looked up, his eyes brimming with tears. "And I'd always be right. But not this time."

"Jacob, you had no way of knowing," Jack said. "Do you have any idea how many times I've given her an order knowing that I could be ordering her to die?" he asked. "Hell, do you have any idea how many times some brain donor in an SUV has almost killed me on the drive to work? Life is risk. And as much as you want to, you can't protect them forever," Jack said.

"Yeah," Jacob agreed quietly, gently easing himself off the bed and trying not to disturb Sam. He nodded his head and Selmac came forth. "Colonel O'Neill, do not underestimate Anubis. I do not know exactly what he is, but he is not human."

"Well, yeah, the snake—"

"No," Selmac interrupted. "Even the symbiote is no longer a goa'uld, it has changed somehow. Do not take him lightly," she warned.

Jack nodded. "You gonna be ok with …Yu?"

"Yes. Our cover is intact. We shall remain with him for a while. Cement our position. Perhaps this can be to our benefit."

"Perhaps," Jack said. Jacob turned, looking at Sam one last time, then followed Jack from the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam crammed the last of her belongings into her pack and made one last sweep around the room feeling like she was checking out the hotel room at the end of a vacation.

The ship had arrived at the Salone's new planet and they were going to use it as a transfer point before since they still didn't quite trust the Jaffa enough to reveal the location of the Tok'ra base. Her dad had asked that they stop and brief the Tok'ra, informing them of Anubis', Yu's and his conditions before they went home.

The door opened and she turned, frowning when she saw Arweax walk into the room. "Major Carter, your companions are ready to depart."

"Thank you," she said, slinging her pack over her shoulders. "Where are you going to go now?"

"We shall recover our families and leave this area. The Tok'ra provided us with several planets that may serve as a new home, or we may find one on our own."

"Good luck," she said, walking past him..

"Major Carter?" he called out. She turned back and he held something out to her. "I believe this is yours."

She looked at the dagger in his hands, its ornate surface glinting in the dim lighting of the room and shook her head. "No, it's—"

"It is yours. You slew the god and freed my men and I. Please take it."

She still resisted, not wanting to touch it, not wanting to relive the memories it held, not wanting to be reminded of how she'd killed with it. As if sensing her feelings, he reached for her pack, sliding the dagger into a pouch and closing it back up. "Unlike my god, you acquitted yourself with honor. Fare thee well, Major Carter. If our paths cross again, I hope it is in celebration of the liberation of my people."

She turned and left the room, finding the rest of her team waiting on the peltac.

"Ready?" Jack asked as Jonas stood up.

"Yes, sir."

They made their way to the ring room, Teal'c and Arweax trailing behind, talking softly. Arriving in the ring room, she joined Jack and Jonas in the center of the transportation devices while Teal'c and Arweax made their farewells before Teal'c also joined them. Arweax raised his hand to his chest and saluted, then activated the rings and they were sent down to the planet, arriving just yards away from the stargate.

"Carter," Jack said. "Jonas and Teal'c can take you home if you want. We don't all need to go brief the Tok'ra," he offered. She knew what he was doing. It'd likely be several hours before he returned to Earth and in that time she could get what was sure to be a lengthy post-mission physical done and probably have some time to get something to eat and maybe even a short nap before he returned. Time to acclimate herself a bit before the requisite briefings would begin.

She shook her head. "That's ok, sir. I have something I need to take care of anyway," she said, declining his offer.

He nodded, motioning for Teal'c to dial up the planet. The gate opened and within minutes they were thousands of light years away, the Tok'ra sentries welcoming them and showing them to the rings which bore them down into the tunnels.

As Jack and the others were escorted to the council chambers, Sam excused herself, instead making her way to the medical wing. Following the directions of one of the healers, she entered a small alcove, relieved to find its occupant in slightly better condition than the last time she'd seen him. Thraken was no longer unconscious, but was propped up on a bed, his hands held loosely in his lap and his eyes staring at the far wall. He was dressed in a warm open robe over a pair of loose pants and she was glad to see that they'd used the healing device on him as well, the once livid burns on his chest pale red circles.

"Hey," she said softly, sitting beside him. "Asha said you're going to be fine," she said, referring to the healer assigned to him.

He ignored her, continuing to stare into the distance, the occasional blinking of his eyes and the slow rise and fall of his chest the only sign of life. He was pale, paler than she'd seen him on the ship. According to Asha, he'd been like this ever since he woke up, alive but withdrawn from the world.

"I know what it's like," she said softly. "To feel someone die. To feel that presence in your mind fade away. When I lost Jolinar, I didn't care. At first, I was glad that she was gone. I never wanted her there, I hated her. But then it was quiet, so quiet. It felt like I was the only person left on the planet and I was so alone. I've never been that lonely before.

No one else understood, I don't even know if they really understand now, what it feels like to lose something that intimate, to feel someone inside of you, a part of you die.

I thought she was gone and I was glad, but I missed her. When I started to remember things, it was almost like a relief. That not all of her was gone."

She reached out and took his hand. "Teson is still in there. He's in your memories and your dreams. And he'll always be there. If you die, then the last little bit of him that's left in this universe will die with you."

He didn't respond, his hand held slackly in hers. She sighed, releasing his hand and getting to her feet. She picked up her discarded pack and started to leave, turning back at the threshold.

She opened her pack and drew out the dagger, her fingers curling around the rough surface of its ornate sheath. She knelt before Thraken, carefully placing the dagger in his hand and curling his fingers around it. "She's dead," she said. "Osiris is dead. She can only keep hurting you if you let her." She squeezed his free hand. "Don't let her claim another victim," she said, slowly getting to her feet. She gave him one last look, then left the room, not surprised to see the other three members of her team walking down the hall, obviously coming to find her.

"Carter, you done?" Jack asked.

"Yeah," she said, glancing one last time over her shoulder at Thraken's room. "Let's go home."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the dimness and quiet of the night, a knife slipped silently from its sheath. He rolled it back and forth, mesmerized by the play of the light off its burnished blade. It glinted so merrily, so happily, so hungrily.

His fingers traced the blade, caressing it as one would touch a lover, gently, reverently. He didn't feel when the blade pierced his skin, a thin rivulet of crimson blood staining the blade, joining the dried droplets of a god, meshing and becoming indistinguishable from the other.

"Soon my precious, soon," he promised, clutching the blade to his chest, a thin smear of blood lending color to his pale skin. "You shall feast again."

Fin