The Sun On The Horizon

Book Four

Sabat

Chapter One

Ice

SGC

Earth

'Unscheduled off-world activation!'

Familiar as the call was, it startled everyone lounging in the briefing room. Many of the base's personnel had drifted in and out during the last two days, since contact between SG-1 and Daniel Jackson had been confirmed by Jack O'Neill. Catherine and Ernest had refused to go home, and when they weren't catnapping in the VIP quarters were kept company in their vigil by Hammond and a rotating parade of SG teams, Daniel's staff and just about everyone else at one time or another.

Kasuf was here too. At George's invitation, the head-man of Nagada came through to Earth with an 'honour guard' of relatives and veteran militia members. Their excitement at both travelling off-world and waiting to greet Daniel and Skaara had yet to diminish.

Aris Boch had added himself to the Abydonian party too. George was still formulating an excuse to get him to leave. For the moment, the bounty hunter was confined to the briefing room with two heavily armed 'escorts'.

'They're early,' Ernest said.

Everyone rose, expecting Daniel and SG-1, even though their return was not due for a few more hours.

George moved quickly down the stairs.

'SG-1 IDC confirmed, sir,' Walter reported. 'Receiving radio transmission.' He flipped some switches and the voice of Major Carter filled the control room.

'This is Major Carter, SG-1 niner to SGC niner. We're gating in. Be advised we have friendly natives in company.'

An uneasy flip of George's gut barely had time to settle before the wormhole rippled and the major was striding down the ramp. Clad in her leather 'undercover' clothes and grimly clutching her weapon, she brought a smile to George's face.

A pace behind her came Teal'c, then Skaara and two young men who had to be Abydonian, and Jacob who was followed by a group of the tallest people George had ever seen. Blinking down the surprise, he kept counting heads: Ferretti, Roberts, Beechworth, Bairnsdale… and… that was it.

He met Carter in the hall by the blast door. One look at her expression confirmed his fears.

'What happened, major?'

'Ba'al.' She spat the name. 'Captured, sir.'

Relief gusted out of him, leaving room for a new set of worries.

'Come upstairs.'

Carter nodded and moved slowly up to the briefing room. George turned on a smile to greet his personnel, Jacob, and Skaara who introduced Seni and Tobay. Teal'c stepped up to introduce the newcomers.

'General George Hammond, may I present to you the good people of N'Has'y: Elder Constile, Ayshal, Safia, Chanla, Shanti, Kinkala, Somi and Sabire. Excepting Elder Constile, they are all of the Clan Kendasai, the clan of Daniel Jackson.'

'Welcome, all of you.'

So Daniel had adopted, or been adopted by, a whole clan of these folks. Somehow, it didn't surprise him.

The tallest man, clad in brilliant red and blue, leaned down and beamed a beautiful smile.

'Greetings, Earthling. We step upon your world with friendship in our hearts. Daaniel is our own, as he is yours, and we will fetch him back to his rightful home. I, Sabire, promise this to you, George.'

George clasped the offered hand and found a little bit of optimism sneak inside him.

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Kerthunk.

Kerthunk.

Thunk-kerthunk.

Kerthunk.

'Jack.'

Thunk-kerthunk.

'Jack'

Kerthunk-kerthunk.

'You know, I think I prefer being kidnapped on my own. It's less annoying.'

'You're glad to have me, admit it.'

'I'd be more glad if you hadn't brought that ball with you.'

Jack paused to send Daniel a sidelong glance, then resumed bouncing the ball off the gilded walls of their quarters.

'So, Daniel…'

'Yes, Jack?'

'What's our plan?'

'Plan?'

'Yeah, I assumed you had a plan when you gave yourself up to a Goa'uld without a fight.'

'No, not really.'

'Here we are, you, me, a big ole snakey son of a bitch. We need a plan.'

'I imagine Ba'al will take up where he left off rummaging through my memories until he finds what he's looking for.'

'Well, that's a bad plan.'

'In case you hadn't noticed, there's more of them than us and the bad guys have weapons. You gave Ba'al your gun.'

'Hmph. Didn't exactly give it to him.'

'And yet, here we are. You, me, in a room. With a ball.'

Kerthunk.

'How did you get here, anyway?'

'Ferretti had the Gate open. I went through, he let it collapse, I dialled N'Has'y and came out on Ba'al's ship.'

'Because he has a functioning DHD.'

'Which makes it the primary Stargate at that address.'

'Simple.'

'Yep.'

Jack tossed the rubber ball into Daniel's lap, forcing him to look up from his minute examination of the reliefs on the walls.

'Where do you think we're headed?'

'Tsydon, I expect. He said he won't stop till he gets the information he thinks I have. That's where the machine is.'

'Then we need to plan, disrupt, delay, do anything we can to delay him.'

'Just the two of us?'

'We've done worse to the Goa'uld, just the two of us.'

'That we have.'

'C'mon, Daniel, don't give up now.'

'Oh, I'm not giving up. I'll fight Ba'al every way I can. I had a lot of time to think on N'Has'y and Ba'al's already shaken loose a few memories that I might be able to use. I'm concerned about protecting you.'

'Thought I was here to protect you.'

'Thought you were here to get in Ba'al's face and piss him off.'

'That too.'

An amused snort escaped Daniel. He flicked Jack an appreciative glance. He rolled the ball back and they started a game of finger soccer in companionable silence.

'Hope they serve food on this tub—'

Without warning the floor under them shuddered and they were flung the length of the room to crash in a tangle of limbs up against the wall.

'Ow.'

'Hyperspace exit.' Jack was up on his feet before Daniel had worked out which was up. Jack reached down and hauled him to his feet.

Jack snatched up his ball as the doors opened. A squad of Jaffa stood at attention in the hallway. Ba'al sauntered into view.

'We trust you are well rested, gentlemen. We have arrived.'

Å

'Hey, Ba'al.'

Jack broke his silence as they were marched through the hangar bay toward a huge, gleaming Al'kesh shuttle.

'Jack O'Neill. You may speak.'

'Gee, thanks. Before we get to that pile of rock you call home, how about we stop off in the marketplace? Last visit, I meant to pick up one of those cushions with Daniel's face sewn on it. Make a swell gift for the folks back home.'

They followed Ba'al into the ship, and sat where directed. Daniel found himself distracted from the nervous flutter in his stomach.

'Cushion?'

'Sure. They had all sorts of neat things with your mug on them. You know, wind chimes, plates, those bobble-headed dolls…'

'They did not.'

'Did too.'

'Jack you can't tell me the people of Tsydon make bobble-headed dolls. That would be…'

'Wrong in so many ways?'

'So, so many ways.'

'Yeah, well, they did have cushions though. I have to get one for Hammond's office.'

The Al'kesh lifted off with the barest impression of motion, passing through the hangar doors and into the black of space. Daniel looked out, expecting the view he'd had of Tsydon from the moon he'd gated to from Ba'al's castle, so many months ago.

'That's different.'

'Doesn't look like the planet we went to.'

'Doesn't look like a planet.'

'That is because it is not a planet,' Ba'al said. 'Your observation skills have not diminished, Daniel.'

'Where are we?' Now he was unsettled. He'd expected to face the familiar rooms and people of Tsydon.

He and Jack rose, joining Ba'al at the viewscreen. Beyond, an extraordinary sight slowly revealed itself as the ship changed direction. Backlit by a bright white star in the far distance, they entered a vast asteroid field. Hunks of space debris of every size drifted on a mutual course, tumbling on individual trajectories, occasionally colliding, always moving in an eternal sweep through the darkness. The play of light and shadows from the star made some appear to take on bizarre shapes.

'That one looks like a kangaroo.'

'So it does.'

'What is a kangaroo?'

'It's a—oh, never mind. Ba'al, where are we?'

Daniel flinched as smaller rocks flashed into vapour as they collided with the ship's shields. Pushing deeper into the field, a small moon gradually became visible, buried in the heart of the cloud. The ship angled direction, moving inexorably toward it.

'That, my dear guests, is Sabat.'

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Daniel had that frown on his face, the one that said he was thinking too hard and whatever he was thinking about, Jack wasn't going to like it.

Their ship dodged and wove through the asteroids, the pilot showing off his considerable skill. They came up out of the shadow of one particularly large rock and suddenly they were at their destination. Jack let out a low whistle.

'That's…'

'Impressive, yes.' Ba'al managed to sound like he was taking credit for the amazing structure before them.

'Beautiful,' Daniel murmured.

There was wonder and longing in his voice Jack had rarely heard before. It set him on edge.

A group of buildings – Jack counted three, four towers around a central circular dome – made up the structure that flowed up out of the asteroid it was built on, like the two were part of a whole. Maybe they were. The glass towers sparkling in the distant sun's light rivalled the fire in the rock below.

'I'm no geologist, but that wouldn't be diamond that place is built on, is it?'

'It is, Jack O'Neill. A construct of great beauty, built upon a foundation of immeasurable wealth.'

'Did she—he name it?' Daniel asked.

'That he did,' Ba'al replied. 'Thousands of years ago it was his home, hidden, fabled, coveted by many system lords. Even after his 'death' its location was never discovered. Naturally, he reclaimed it upon his, ah, release.'

'Naturally.' Daniel's voice was wooden.

'Care to share?'

'Sabat. In Ancient Egyptian it was known as the home of Osiris.'

'And here I thought the day was looking up.' Jack glared at Ba'al. 'You're working with that nut-job? You know she's a front man for Anubis.'

Ba'al inclined his head, impressed with Jack's intel. 'Osiris leads Anubis along a path of deception. His plans for domination over Goa'uld and humans will come to nothing. With Daniel's aid, We will bring peace to all our worlds, and be rid of Anubis and others like him for ever.'

'You keep saying that, but between you and me I don't think Daniel knows what you think he knows, and I think you ought to quit while you can and take us home.'

'We shall be proven right – or not – very soon. They you may return to your quaint little home on your boring little planet, Jack O'Neill.'

Jack glanced at Daniel who remained staring at the encroaching view of Osiris's base. There was no expression on his friend's face, but Jack could read him all the same: trepidation, anxiety, curiosity, nervousness; they all warred with the overriding desire to touch something new, explore and soak in whatever knowledge lay hidden on this shining, incredible structure.

The pilot took them in through a force-field that shimmered violet sparks with their passing. He circled one tower, flew over the central dome which glittered with hundreds of stained glass panes, and set down on a small landing pad between the two tallest towers. An air-locked tunnel snaked out to the ship and attached itself with a gentle hiss of air.

'My lord, we are connected to the walkway. The base is safe to enter.'

Ba'al's first prime gathered his troops at the airlock, all armed, armoured and exuding arrogance.

'Excellent. Daniel, you may precede Us.'

Jack drew breath for one more attempt to sway Ba'al away from his plans.

'Jack, let it go.' Daniel's voice held a brittle, resigned edge. 'Let's get this over with.' He marched past the Jaffa and into the tunnel.

Jack sprinted after him.

'Daniel…'

'Time to finish this, Jack.'

Daniel moved so fast Ba'al and his men had to scramble after him. The short tunnel opened out into a beautiful atrium under the domed stained glass. Exotic, alien sculptures were scattered around the room, their crystal forms tinted with blue, orange and green that caught the light and refracted all over the walls and floors. Pillars rose up at unconventional intervals, and were filled with liquid that bubbled with passing air. Beyond the dome, the spires of the four towers reached with elegant grace toward the star-filled blackness.

'Welcome.'

Jack suppressed a flinch. He quickly spotted the woman lounging on a divan, half-concealed by a sculpture. The sultry voice did nothing for the icy chill zipping down his spine.

'Ba'al, you kept your promise: delivered the Tau'ri slave to Us. Finally.'

Osiris uncurled and rose to her considerable height.

Her? His? Jack could never get that bit straight.

'And brought a friend. How delightful.'

Osiris slinked over to Daniel. She touched his face tenderly.

'Sarah,' he said sadly.

'She no longer exists.' The Goa'uld's eyes flashed.

'We both know that's a lie,' Daniel said. 'I have the memories to prove it.'

Osiris glared over his shoulder at Ba'al. 'So you did subject him to the memory scanner. Your excuses for the delay held no truth.'

'Now, now, let us not bicker. We merely wished to test the effectiveness of Our apparatus. We made significant progress sorting through the rubbish in Our Daniel's head.' Ba'al inched up behind Daniel and took a possessive grip of his shoulders. 'He is ripe now for the final scans.'

'The testing had already been done, as you well know, Ba'al,' Osiris growled past Daniel's ear.

Jack was moving before he realised, wanting to pull his friend out of that Goa'uld sandwich. Ba'al's Jaffa intercepted him, placing an immobile wall between him and the Goa'uld.

Beyond, Daniel caught his eye. Stand down – now is not the right time.

Giving the Jaffa a fake grin, he shoved his hands in his pockets and wandered off, always keeping Daniel in his line of sight. All through the trip here Daniel had asked him to hold off, don't do anything that would result in his being injured. Bide your time, Jack. Don't do anything rash, Jack. I know what I'm doing, Jack.

Seeing Daniel, angling his head away from Osiris's touch, with Ba'al breathing down his neck, Jack really doubted it. He gave his legs a minute shake, pleased to feel the weight of the knives still strapped there. As soon as the Goa'uld were away from Daniel, he'd make his move. Take out two Jaffa, relieve them of their weapons, eliminate the rest and they'd be out of here. Ba'al would have to go, Osiris too. He'd regret Daniel witnessing that, but there was no alternative.

A door opened silently, twenty feet away. A man walked through, clad in a gold loincloth, oiled muscles rippling. Another, almost identical, followed, then more until ten of them ranged themselves in two lines. Jack could see the cross-cut of the Jaffa on their abdomens, as they'd seen so many times before. What was definitely a first were the tattoos: snakes, the Goa'uld kind, stretching up the right side of each man. The gaping, fanged mouth on each made Jack's hackles rise.

'Bow down,' the lead man barked. 'Your Goddess approaches. Give praise to our Lady Sekhmet.'

At the same time he heard Daniel's horrified gasp, Jack found himself staring at… her.

'You have got to be kidding!'

Å

Daniel couldn't believe that mangled sound had come out of his mouth, but he couldn't take his eyes off that woman. Automatically, he stepped back, bumping into Ba'al who put a companionable arm around his waist.

'Ah, here she is. Daniel, may We introduce you to Our other partner: Sekhmet.'

She's dead, she's dead, she's dead.

The litany pounded through his brain. He shook his head, rejecting the truth entering the room. Gossamer trails of white fabric flowed from her body, hair now the black of ravens, but those eyes, they were the same ones that had haunted his sleep for years.

'You have got to be kidding!'

Jack's cry shook him awake.

'No, Jack, don't—'

Too late, Jack was already lunging for her, knife hurled ahead of him. A Jaffa flung himself in front of the Goa'uld, taking the knife in the shoulder. Mocking laughter floated over the melee as Jack disappeared beneath a pile of Jaffa, all trying to pound him into oblivion.

'No!' Daniel pulled free of Ba'al. 'Don't hurt him.' He yelled as loud as he could, not expecting any reaction, desperately trying to think of a way to save Jack. 'Stop!'

The tussling heap of bodies stilled. Astonished, Daniel skidded into them.

'Let him go.'

The Jaffa straightened themselves up, one by one stepping away from Jack who blinked up at him from the floor. Back in line, Sekhmet's Jaffa turned and as one, bowed to Daniel.

'Uhm. Thank you.'

Never one to miss and opportunity, he reached down and hauled Jack to his feet.

'Daniel?'

'Beats me.'

Laughter echoed off the dome. Osiris swept towards them, Ba'al following with a bemused frown.

'Sister dearest, did We not warn you? Now We are proved correct once again.'

Osiris stepped over the fallen Jaffa and stood next to Sekhmet. 'Oh, Daniel. We knew you possessed special qualities. We regret We are not a queen, that We might use your… qualities for Ourselves.'

'Queen—' He couldn't finish the thought. 'Oh, god…' These Jaffa, were they bearing the primtas Hathor had spawned on the base, years ago, after she…

'Alright. Somebody fill me in. First off – this,' Jack jabbed a finger at Sekhmet, 'is the Goa'uld formerly known as Hathor. And I killed you. What are doing here and what's with the new name?'

'O'Neill. We will take great delight in flaying your bones white. You attempted to kill Us as Our former self, but Our loyal Jaffa saved Us and when We rose from the healing sleep We were no longer Hathor, beloved by all. We became Sekhmet: The Eye of Ra, Sekhmet the Destroyer.'

The tiny woman sent chills down Daniel's back. She raked them both with hate-filled eyes.

'Long have We planned Our revenge. We had nothing. Our base destroyed. Most of Our men killed. We took the final few of Our progeny and sought a new home. Eventually news came to us that Our brother had risen from his prison. We found each other here in the old one's haven. We both cried out for retribution. Imagine Our amusement…' She stalked toward Daniel. 'Imagine Our amusement when we found the instigator of both our woes was the insignificant Tau'ri – Daniel Jackson.

'Oh, come one. You can't blame Daniel for everything,' Jack said.

'When We escaped from your petty planet,' Osiris said, 'We returned here to Our home in the stars. We found Our sister, Hathor, sheltering here, her home and most of her loyal men destroyed. She told Us many things: that Our father Ra was dead at the hands of Daniel Jackson, that the Tau'ri now walked uncontrolled over Earth and through the stars because Daniel Jackson opened the Stargate, that she was forced to flee Earth, but not before taking the records of the Tau'ri's travels and the code of life, from Daniel Jackson.'

Osiris draped a possessive arm over Sekhmet. 'Imagine, Daniel, how astonished Sekhmet was to find that you were the same man who denied Us the knowledge of Our consort Isis's location, who forced Us also to flee the Tau'ri homeworld. How we laughed when we compared your passion in our arms.'

Jack surged forward, another knife in his hand. Only two feet from the smirking Goa'uld he was flung back to the floor by Sekhmet's ribbon device. Daniel felt Ba'al's hand on his shoulder, restraining him from a similar attack. His face burned, both with anger and pain.

'We both cried out for vengeance,' Sekhmet continued. 'Our brother Osiris wanted only to make you suffer, but when we exchanged stories of our meetings with you, We knew you had survived Ra's punishment with the Ninvan'etak, that you must possess his unconscious memories, and would hold the information that would bring us both that which we desired.'

'I don't buy that,' Jack butted in. 'How could you possibly know that when Daniel himself doesn't remember it?'

'The Ninvan'etak's energy flows both ways, Tau'ri. Osiris knows everything Daniel keeps in his mind.'

Daniel felt himself pale. Osiris knew… If that was true then Amonet must have plundered his mind even as Sha're had sent him her messages, Klorel too had hit him with the ribbon weapon. And, what, Ra? When? He'd been sick for days after the liberation of Abydos, but why, he'd never really worked out. And how come Jack seemed to know?

Hathor—Sekhmet, dammit, sauntered up to him. He shrank back but Ba'al was in the way. 'Daniel… the bane of both our lives, and now you are to be our resurrection. It is set in the destiny of us all. Is it not delightful?'

'Yeah, the universe has one hell of a sense of humour.' Jack planted himself in front of her, barring the way to Daniel.

Sekhmet snarled up at Jack. 'Your part in the death of Our father-brother Ra, is known to Us, O'Neill. You too shall reap the revenge we have plotted, and now, finally, it has come. The House of Ra shall rise once more. All shall bow down to Us and the Tau'ri will resume their place beneath Our feet.'

Her eyes were brilliant white flares. Daniel found his gaze darting to and from her face, unable to watch, unable to look away.

Jack glanced at Ba'al. 'Seriously? You partnered up with these two wackos so the 'House of Ra' could rule again? Somehow, Ba'al, you never impressed me as the sharing kind of guy.'

Osiris slinked over to Ba'al, managing to brush her body against Daniel in the process. 'Ba'al possesses the armies and weapons we lack. His assistance was necessary to bring Daniel to us. He was not—' She broke off, sending a sneering smile into Ba'al's face, 'supposed to keep Daniel for himself.'

Ba'al grinned back, unrepentant. 'Did you expect Us to do otherwise? We made far more progress than would have been achieved here, with… other distractions. We have stripped through the layers of irrelevant memories for you. He is ripe for harvest of that which we all desire. We shall all obtain our goals – what you and Sekhmet do then is of no concern to Us.'

Daniel pursed his lips thoughtfully. Ba'al was never one to share with others. He had another agenda, and he'd be a fool to think Osiris and Ha—Sekhmet would abide by any deal struck between the three. A glance at Jack confirmed he wasn't buying it either.

'Enough discussion.' Sekhmet stared hungrily at Daniel and he found there wasn't enough willpower in the universe to stop him shrinking away from that face.

'Jaffa! Escort Daniel Jackson to his chamber and prepare him.'

'I don't think so, lady.'

Jack had another knife in his fist and pressed against Sekhmet's throat so fast Daniel wondered if he'd blacked out for a moment.

Sekhmet merely laughed. 'We remember this one. You desire to be in Our service once again. When Our pharaoh has fulfilled his first duty, he shall be put to his next task, and you will receive Our first born.'

Her grip on Jack's arm was crushing, but he grimly held on and shot a glance at Ba'al.

'We keep Our promises, Jack O'Neill.'

Ba'al's cryptic words obviously meant something to Jack. He gave in a moment before his bones would have snapped. The Jaffa leader wrested the knife away and two of them held Jack firmly. Two others guided Daniel, with surprisingly gentle touches, out of the room.

Å

It's just their need to control.

Daniel kept telling himself that. Maybe one more time and he'd believe it.

He'd been marched through endless corridors to a room that far outstretched any of Ba'al's for opulent extravagance. Here, the statues were solid gold, the ceiling to floor drapes that hung at random intervals all over the room were the finest gossamer linen, threaded with diamonds. An enormous bed rose on a dais in the centre, the gold sun disk crowning it left him in no doubt whose room it was.

The Jaffa here were polite but insistent. He tried ordering them to stop: stripping him, washing him, redressing him, but always they would resume, intoning 'The will of Sekhmet commands.'

Now he stood in front of a twenty foot high mirror, watching as they adjusted the starched linen kilt, the jewelled belt, hung the heavy gold, carnelian and lapis collar around his neck, fastened twined snake-headed armbands around his biceps – a classic vision of an Egyptian pharaoh. With a cast on his leg. That little absurdity kept him grounded.

He let the image of himself and the milling attendants with their bare muscles and venomous tattoos fade away. Retreating inward, he brought up all the memories shaken free by Ba'al. So many half- or wholly forgotten: another similar room, men he now recognised as Hathor's Jaffa, in her quarters on the first base she'd established after escaping Earth, himself recovering after Hathor had subjected him to her own scans. Pieces of Osiris's life with Isis, Klorel's fumbling attempts to please Apophis, and Ra, magnificent and assured, receiving the adulations he craved. They milled in his mind as they had done for months on N'Has'y. Now, Daniel reached for them, embraced the poisoned lives of parasite beings, sifted, sorted and claimed them to use for himself. And deep within, something else stirred.

Dimly aware of moving, he walked the corridors with his escort, entered a new room, darkened and scented heavily with incense. The Breath of the gods: designed to fill the spirit of a slave with the will of their god. He breathed deeply. Smiled. Jack was there, objecting loudly, of course, restrained in chains to one wall. The Jaffa knelt in a row opposite Jack; the gaping mouths of their tattooed Goa'uld writhed and snapped in the flickering light.

Before him was the chair, the reclinare, same as Ba'al's. Waiting for him.

'Let's get this over with.'

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