Disclaimer, Rating, and all that Jazz: I don't own Stargate. I do this for fun, not profit. This fic is rated T. It has slight language and violence. Spoilers for Abyss. Set in season seven, some time before Heroes. AKA Janet is here.

I've been working on this story for a while, and am only now posting it. I have quite a bit done, and the chapters in this story will be longer than I generally make them, so I won't post as often. There will be a pairing, but not until later chapters and I don't want to give it away now, or the story will be ruined. And you don't want that. Anyways, I'll let you get to reading now. Enjoy the ride!

Not a Tau'ri

Amaris briskly walked down the hall from the arsenal to the embarkation room. She pushed her way past people, her normally polite demeanor abandoned. Amaris got this way when she was on a mission, so people weren't surprised to see her shoving her way once they took stock of her apparel. She was ready to go off-world.

The door slid open automatically, and she entered to see the great ring rotating and the chevrons engaging. It was a comforting sound to Amaris, one she was used to hearing.

The Stargate had only been in use for a year. In that time, they had learned a lot about the universe. But a new threat had been unearthed in recent missions. The Goa'uld were a force to be reckoned with.

A splash of blue caused her to jump. No matter how many times she saw it, the vortex took her by surprise. Her mouth always opened with wonderment at the marvelous event horizon of the wormhole.

A gasp behind her drew her eyes away from the stargate. Commander Allard, a talented warrior, was staring at the blue. This was to be his first trip through the Stargate. And even though he was inexperienced, he was selected to go on this mission because of his heroism in battle. This mission was bound to turn into a shooting match, so they would need him.

Amaris was happy to see that even one who had seen so much in his life could be struck by such a sight. "It's beautiful, is it not?" She had a rich English accent.

"I'm impressed," he managed.

"Are you ready?" Because if you're not, we're both dead. The whole team is dead.

He gulped then nodded. "I am."

She smiled a painful smile. "Then let's go." She led the way through the gate, followed by her team, with Allard trailing them.

They emerged through the 'gate, and Amaris took a quick look back at the commander. He looked like he was about to be sick. "Commander Allard?" she called to him, and patted his back as he bent over. His breath was labored.

"I'm fine…it's just an odd experience."

She rolled her eyes. Generally, Amaris would have patience for this kind of thing. But this was not an ordinary mission. The Goa'uld were not aware of their little planet, or its people. And the goal was to get intelligence on this alien race before they became aware of them. "Shake it off. You'll have to get used to it."

She started to walk away when she caught the eye of one of her teammates. It was Keane, her brother. He shook his head at her. Keane was more of a warrior than she was, and tended to take such stressful situations better. Amaris was an intellectual. It surprised many people when she got command of a team a year ago. She wasn't experienced in war, or strategy. Who knew what lay through that 'gate?

In that time, though, Amaris had proven herself to others. But she had yet to prove her worth to herself. She freaked out in situations like this, and Keane usually had to calm her.

"Commander," her brother's deep voice sounded. "You need to get your bearings. We'll go slowly, but we can't stay here."

Allard nodded and stood up. Keane, with the help of Lowell, another member of the team, supported him and guided him down the path. Now, Amaris was in front, followed by Keane, Lowell, and Allard. Devon, the last member of the team, took the rear.

They had not been walking for 15 minutes when the sound of marching could be heard in the distance. Shouts in another language could be heard. The team from Aldercy hid themselves in the bushes, peeking through the branches at the group of aliens approaching.

"Kree, Jaffa!" The leader shouted. They stopped marching right in front of the group. They held their breaths, trying to remain concealed. The aliens suddenly re-configured themselves into a tightly packed circle. Soon after, rings fell around them from the sky, and with a flash of light, the aliens were gone. The held in breaths were released at once. They were all shaken, as that patrol had been menacing.

Devon was the first to speak. "Past intel calls those creatures Jaffa. They serve the Goa'uld."

Lowell snorted. "That's just great. I swear, one of those could take down at least three of us."

Keane shook his head. "No, they were all armor. They may be large, but no larger than a human could get."

Amaris wasn't really listening to them. Instead, she was marveling at the technology the Jaffa had possessed. Large staff weapons and that interesting transportation device. Amaris loved looking at new technology…

"I think those rings took the Jaffa up to a ship," Allard said, gesturing towards the sky. "We should try to get up there somehow."

Devon looked at the man. "Are you kidding? That's a sure fire way to get killed." She was a little worried. She was simply an archeologist; she was defiantly not cut out for that kind of combat.

"No, Devon, he's right." Amaris spoke up for the first time. "There must be a Goa'uld ship in orbit. And getting up there is necessary to get intel." She though for a moment, then abandoned her spot behind the bushes. She stood in the spot where the rings were.

"Amaris," Keane said nervously. "What the hell are you doing? They'll see us!"

"Come out here. Maybe if we stand here the rings will activate."

Lowell followed her out. "Worth a try," he said with a shrug. The rest of the team followed after him.

They stood in that spot for 5 minutes. Devon, the most impatient of the team, was the first to complain. "Come on. This isn't working. Try something else."

Lowell yelled back, "Well, what do you propose, genius?"

"Well, it obviously requires something else. Maybe a remote control or something."

"It's a transportation device, not a visual projection screen!"

Allard, Keane, and Amaris covered their ears to drown out the bickering so they could concentrate better. Those two were always down each other's throats.

But covering their ears was not the best plan. They did not hear the pounding of feet as a patrol of Jaffa approached them.

"Kree!" the shout attracted their attention. They heard the powering of weapons, and saw they had been surrounded. "Tau'ri!"

They put their hands up in surrender. Every one of them worried for what was to come.

"What business do you have here, Tau'ri?"

Amaris whispered so all her team could hear. "Don't tell them anything."

The head Jaffa heard. The marking on his forehead was different than the others. It shimmered of gold, and the others were simply black. "Kree!"

He exchanged several words in what must have been their native tongue while the Aldercy team exchanged looks. Finally, they were pushed closer together, and rings fell around them. Amaris grimaced at the irony. Looks like we're going to the ship after all.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Once aboard the ship, the Jaffa led them through corridors, a maze which seemed to never end. Even if they did manage to break away from their captors, they would be lost.

Soon, they found themselves in a large room with a window looking down on the planet. On the center of the room, a throne with a handsome, dark-haired man in it. The Jaffa hit them all at their knee joints, sending them to the floor. "Kneel before your god!" The Jaffa commanded them.

The man in the seat eyed the group suspiciously. "What brings you here, Tau'ri? You should know by now not to interfere with my affairs."

His voice was deep and distorted, his demeanor menacing. Amaris was very afraid, but would not let it show. "Who are you that we would want to interfere with?"

He snorted. "Impudence. You will pay for this." Then, he directed orders at his servants. "Throw them in the holding cell."

The five of them struggled against it, but the Jaffa were far too strong. They also had no weapons anymore, which gave the aliens a definite advantage.

Amaris looked over at Devon. She looked absolutely terrified. Amaris had about the same amount of experience with this kind of thing, but unlike Devon, she had two brothers, Keane and Harvey, who were both in the military. She was used to talk of war, and as far as she was concerned, experiencing it was no different.

They were abandoned in the cell, and they didn't waste any time.

Allard looked over the group and asked, "What's the plan?"

Devon stared at him, tears forming in her eyes. "What do you mean? It's clear we're going to die here." Amaris reached towards her and engulfed her in a warm embrace.

"Devon, you have to remember that there is always a way out." It was Keane, his green eyes drilling into her. "Commander, I noticed how they activate the ring device. It's on a wristband."

Allard nodded. "So we just have to get our hands on one."

"Sounds great," Amaris supplied. I would like to take a look at them, and if we can get one it would be good for my research."

Lowell cleared his throat. "Sorry to be the voice of negativity, but how in hell are we going to get our hands on one of these guys wristbands?"

The men argued over strategy while Amaris tried to comfort Devon.

"We'll be alright."

"How can you say that? Look around us, Amaris. There is no hope."

Amaris looked like she was in pain. "Have I ever led this team astray?"

The question dangled in the air. It was true, Amaris was a great leader. They had always been safe, and very few injuries had been procured over the past year. But this was their first time in a situation like this.

"Amaris, I trust you." There. It was an answer.

"I promise, as long as I am still around to have anything to say about it, you'll be safe, Devon. You're like a little sister, and it would kill me to lose you."

Devon smiled at her, and the women leaned against the wall, relaxing. The men were still bickering.

Their argument was cut short with the entrance of two Jaffa. Everyone fell silent, and stared at the newcomers with wide, scared eyes.

"Which of you is the leader?"

Amaris jumped up, blocking off the attempts made by her brother. "I am."

"Amaris," Keane hissed at her. "What the hell are you doing?" He had tried to pretend he was in charge. It was clear the Jaffa were there to take the leader away to be tortured, and later killed. That was not the fate he wanted for his little sister. She needed to be in the cell for when an escape plan was ready.

She said nothing in response. The Jaffa eyed her and laughed. "This female? That is quite amusing." No one dared to respond. "My lord Ba'al commands you to him chamber."

They started to escort her to the door, hands on her elbows. But Keane jumped up and attacked them. "Keep your hands off of her!"

Keane, no matter how fair a warrior he was, could not overtake two armed Jaffa. With the sound of energy pulsing, a blue light enveloped him and he collapsed onto the ground, yelling in pain.

"Keane!" Amaris struggled to sit at his side, but was restrained.

"Do not attempt that again," the Jaffa with the gold emblem said to them all, fingering the weapon that fired the blast. Amaris was pushed out of sight. When they had left, Devon ran to Keane's side, checking his pulse. He was fine, if not in a lot of pain.

But their thoughts were not with Keane. They were all thinking about Amaris, and what Ba'al was planning to do with her.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Amaris screamed out in pain. "I don't know what you're talking about!" Tears were flowing freely. She didn't care enough to hide her fear anymore. "Please, I'm not…" she was cut off with another poke with the stick, the source of her pain.

"I am no fool! Tell me the code I can use to access the Earth stargate."

"Please," a sob escaped her. "My team and I…we're not from Earth! I am not a Tau'ri!"

Ba'al snorted and walked up to her, grabbing at her long hair and pulling her hair back so she was looking up at him. She cried out once more. "So you keep saying. But you will not tell me which planet you are from, so I do not believe you."

Amaris bit her tongue to keep herself from giving away Aldercy. Her silence only fueled Ba'al's anger.

"As I suspected." He walked away, and Amaris collapsed onto the ground. She lifted her head so she could see what was happening around her. But it took all her strength. Two Jaffa entered carrying a long box. Ba'al smiled when he saw it, and laughed. Opening it, he fingered its contents, which were unknown to Amaris.

"Perhaps I can change your mind about your silence." He pulled out a jar. "You see, your silence serves no one. I will defeat the Tau'ri sooner or later. You are simply delaying the end." Ba'al set the jar down on the small surface next to his throne. "Also, you are being quite irritating. I will kill you no matter what, now. And there was a possibility I was to let you live." He eyed her. "You are quite beautiful. The perfect vessel for my queen."

Amaris didn't know what that meant, but it didn't sound fun. "I'm nobody's vessel."

Ba'al laughed. "You remind me of O'Neill. He amused me much in the same way you do." He stopped smiling. "I'm sure you have met him. How is O'Neill? He may have escaped me once, but never again."

"I don't know who O'Neill is, because I am not a Tau'ri."

"Back on that again, are we?" Ba'al opened the jar and pulled a dropper out of his sleeve. "It's a small matter. You will tell me what I want to know eventually."

Amaris felt herself fall to the wall. She was being held against it by an invisible force. Ba'al stood in front of her. "I will use the same methods explored with O'Neill. Perhaps that will jog your memory."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Colonel Jack O'Neill was sitting in his office, playing with his yo-yo when his phone rang. He stared at it for a moment, surprised that someone had actually used this number. Jack was never in his office. He only came to avoid work.

"O'Neill"

"Colonel O'Neill, you are late for the briefing." The familiar Texas accent of General George Hammond came over the phone, and it sounded pissed.

"D'oh! General, I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Well hurry son, this is actually an important mission." He hung up.

Damn, Jack thought as he set his yo-yo on his desk and sprinted towards the briefing room. He ran into Siler on the way, who actually fell to the ground. "Walk it off, Siler!" he called after him as he continued down the hall. General Hammond may be a patient man, but some days, Jack felt he stretched his CO too thin.

"Sorry General. I didn't get the memo." Jack slid into the chair next to Major Samantha Carter, his 2IC.

"Colonel, the important thing now is for you to pay attention." He looked at O'Neill in his best 'I'm your CO' face. "Major, begin."

"Thank you, sir." The blonde stood up and walked to the front. "Six hours ago, we received a Tok'ra transmission about the locating of a chunk of Ba'al's fleet." She pressed a button on the device in her hand, and an image was projected on the screen. "This is a picture of his main ship in orbit around P3R-525."

"We've been there before." Jack remembered. "There was nothing there."

General Hammond shot him a look. Yeah, that man was not in a good mood. At all.

"Yes sir, which is why this is the perfect spot for Ba'al to make a stronghold. There is nothing of value on this planet, and the other Goa'uld know that. No one would guess to look here. We only got this intel because of a Tok'ra spy."

"Excuse me, Major, but I don't see what we can do with this information."

She hesitated. "General, the Tok'ra have devised a mission plan to blow up the entire fleet by triggering an explosion here." She changed the picture being projected to a blueprint of the ship. Sam pointed at the main engine room. "The naquidah used to power the engines will intensify the blast. And, if we use enough explosive, the shields will fail, and the entire fleet goes up into smoke."

The room paused to think. Jack was the most skeptical. "General, you know I'd be the first for getting rid of Ba'al, but this plan…I just don't have a good feeling about it."

Teal'c, who sat silently across from Jack, raised his eyebrow. Daniel said what the Jaffa was thinking.

"Jack, you just don't want to do this because the Tok'ra proposed it. The plan may be…sketchy, but I'm willing to take the risk."

"Me too." Major Carter looked at him. "Please, Colonel. This plan has a good shot. I've seen the schematics of the ship myself. The shields are faulty, which is why Ba'al is hiding."

"O'Neill, we must at least attempt this."

His entire team against him, Jack threw his hands in the air and gave up. "Fine. I'm not going to like it though."

Hammond nodded. "Ok. You leave at 1500. Dismissed."

Everyone got up from the table and left the room, but Jack remained sitting. He couldn't abandon that feeling he was getting. It was like acid was being poured onto his shoulder.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"I can make the pain stop."

Amaris just swallowed.

"You have strong spirit." Ba'al told her, smiling slightly. "But even that will not save you now."

Amaris brought herself to look at him. "My mother told me that spirit is everything."

He laughed a hollow laugh. "If that is true than why do you have nothing?"

"I have my life." He glared at her. Ba'al stalked over to the Jaffa in the corner, took his staff weapon, and pointed it at her.

"Only for as long as I have use for it." The weapon went off.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"O'Neill." Teal'c approached the Colonel. He was sitting on the bench in the locker room, head resting in his hands. "Why are you being so negative about this mission?"

Jack didn't say anything.

"O'Neill, if we are ever to defeat the Goa'uld, we must take risks such as this."

The Colonel sat up. "Damn, Teal'c this is different. This guy tortured me. It was the worst I ever had to endure. And if we get caught…" he looked over at the Jaffa. "I'm not worried about you, but Danny and Sam… I don't want them to go through that."

"O'Neill, Daniel Jackson is stronger than you think. And Major Carter is a formidable warrior."

Jack sighed. "I know Teal'c. But I worry about them."

The burly alien sat down next to him. "As do I. But O'Neill, we must not let that get in the way of us doing our job."

"I guess you're right." Jack slapped his hand onto Teal'c shoulder. "Thanks, buddy."

"You are quite welcome."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Amaris woke to a bright light, and in a state of confusion. Wasn't I just… A figure loomed over her and grabbed her wrist, pulling her out of what appeared to be a coffin. It brought me back to life. How fascinating… a firm tug brought her to her senses. Who cares about that? I'm still in grave danger. Amaris thought about Devon, Lowell, Keane, and Allard. They must be so worried about her…if they were still alive.

She shoved thoughts of their demise to the back of her head. Instead, she pretended they were free. They had escaped, and the only one who would have to go through this hell was her.

She was brought to another holding cell. Trying to get her bearings, she observed every corner of her prison, and then put her attention back to her well being. The devise worked wonders. There was no sign of any wound. The only clue anything had gone wrong was her clothing, now littered with holes.

She even felt fine. Completely refreshed.

Pacing the room, she tried to think of a way out. But it was no use without her team. She was useless without them. A sob escaped her. An overwhelming fear for her friends overtook her. She didn't even care what happened to her body. He could kill her, torture her, as long as they stayed alive.

The thing was, he would never hint to her about her team's well-being. He would torture her regardless.

Ba'al will have to keep torturing me. Because I will never reveal anything.

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There's the first chapter! Hope you enjoyed it.

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