The Sun On The Horizon

Book Three, N'has'y

Chapter Two

Waiting

Note – The first attempt at posting lost the paragraph breaks. Third time lucky!

Gusts of wind ripped across the airfield's surface. They created mini-tornados of dust that flung themselves in Jack's face before dancing away into the air, taunting his earth-bound helplessness. He spat out a mouthful of grit and resumed his afternoon trudge back to the most recent addition to the SGC's space fleet.

Jack sourly regarded the misshapen and patched exterior. Technically it was Jacob's ship but not even the Tok'ra would want such a clapped out excuse for a vessel as this thing. He didn't care – as long as it did its job getting them to Tsydon and back.

His easy, ground-eating stroll took him past the other ships held waiting for clearance to head for Tsydon. Only seventeen now: four had given up and sought out other markets for their goods. News about what was going on out there was sparse, but Jacob had returned three days earlier with reports that another Goa'uld had launched an attack on Ba'al's homeworld. Why, it was unclear, but rumours abounded that it was someone in Anubis' camp and that none of the current crop of System Lords had ever been known to take on such a powerful opponent as Ba'al before. Jack dipped his head away from another blast of hot, dusty wind and turned away from the desolate, stranded ships to walk down the side of the SS Spacemonkey.

Captain Roberts, perched on the boarding ramp, greeted him. 'All quiet, Jack.'

'Good to hear, Martin.' He thumped up the ramp, still uncomfortable with the use of personal names, despite the need to maintain their cover as off-world traders. Twenty-some years in the Force bred a powerful habit to overcome.

In the dim, still smelly interior he found Teal'c and Beechworth putting the finishing touches to their evening meal. 'Jacob back yet?' He plonked himself down on a supply crate and stretched his legs out.

'He's sent his report to the Tok'ra but he's gone with Aris to get some more fresh fruit and vegetables,' Carter replied, not looking up from the dismembered gizmo on the deck before her.

'Aris "knows" a guy,' Ferretti added.

'I'll just bet he does.' Jack accepted a bowl of something hot and spicy from Teal'c. He gave it an experimental sniff. 'Dare I ask?'

'It is bonetha, a favourite of the people of Abydos,' Teal'c supplied with a mysterious smile.

Jack blinked and pinned him with an expectant stare.

Lieutenant Beechworth handed him a warm flatbread. 'Doc Jackson showed me how to make it when we were on that mission to P2Z-158.'

'P2…?' Bad enough to try and distinguish one planet from another, but to expect a guy to remember them by designation…

'Daniel was seconded to SG-2, sir,' Carter said without looking up. 'The planet was an abandoned outpost of Ra's.'

He frowned, still not getting it.

'Black hole, sir.'

'Ah.' He dunked the bread in the stew and shoved a generous amount in his mouth. 'Mmm. What else did Daniel share, Sandy?'

'Oh. Well, he told us some tales about Abydos, sir—Jack—si—er, about his life there and all.'

'Really?' Carter and Teal'c echoed Jack's surprise. Daniel was usually quite reticent about his time on Abydos.

'The planet we were on had some similarities to Abydos. It stirred some memories for him.' Roberts joined the dinner gathering and glanced at Jack with a twinkle in his eye. 'Actually, most of his stories were about other people – you in particular, sir.'

Uh oh. 'Me?' He completely failed to keep the sharpness out of his voice. 'Why don't you run a few of those by us, now. Help pass the time.'

'Er…' Beechworth stared at the deck plates, chewing thoughtfully on her lip. 'Well, the doc did say the city's kids latched onto you pretty quickly. Followed you round, imitated everything you did.' Encouraged by Jack's smile he went on. 'They couldn't get you to eat that lizard creature they served up.'

'I have a delicate stomach.'

'Yes, sir. What else—yeah, they were all so amazed when you showed them the Jaffa were just men, not the gods they'd always thought. Oh, and that you saved the doc's life in a sandstorm.'

Kinda made up for getting him killed… Whoa there—

'You saved Daniel in a sandstorm, sir?' Carter piped up.

'Uh huh, well, he was exhausted. I just covered the both of us till Skaara and his kids found us.' Jack pinned Beechworth with a hard stare. 'Daniel said I showed the Abydonians the face of the Jaffa?'

'Yeah, he said it was the pivotal moment in the rebellion. Kasuf realised they'd been lied to for centuries. The people rose up against Ra and attacked the pyramid. If you hadn't done that there wouldn't have been a rebellion at all.'

The rest of the crew were staring at him in admiration, which jarred even more with the warning bells now clamouring in his head.

'Way to go, sir.'

'An honourable action, O'Neill.'

'Yeah, Teal'c, it was.' Jack frowned up at his friend. 'Except it wasn't my action. It was Daniel's. Daniel was the one who hit the switch on the Jaffa's helmet. Daniel was the one who convinced Kasuf that their god was false. It wasn't me. It was Daniel.'

'Maybe he was just trying to deflect attention away from himself,' suggested Carter.

'I don't think so, ma'am,' Beechworth said. 'The doc clearly said it was the colonel.'

'Why would Daniel Jackson alter the facts?' Teal'c asked.

Jack felt something curdle in his gut. 'He wouldn't. Never. Daniel—alter history? No.'

'Sorry, sir,' Beechworth began. 'I didn't mean to…'

'I'm glad you did mention it, Lieutenant.' Jack glanced at Carter, then Teal'c. 'Something's not right.' With Daniel was the unspoken worry.

'What did he say in his report, sir?' Carter asked.

'He didn't file a report – he stayed on Abydos, remember?'

'Yes, but later, when he did come home. Didn't he file a post-mission report then?'

Jack thought hard. Those first few months of the SGC had been chaotic: getting Daniel settled, officially alive again, in the midst of his grief, at the same time they were establishing frontline and support teams, sorting out the data from the Abydos cartouche and making first contact with new worlds… 'He filed hundreds of reports. Damned if I know if he did a retrospective on Abydos. It was sealed from us… gone…'

'Perhaps he just got confused,' offered Ferretti.

'And yet, Daniel Jackson remembered the event clearly. It was only the role he played that has become unclear,' Teal'c rumbled.

'That's what's got me concerned, Teal'c,' Jack said. 'He remembered what happened, but he's got it all muddled…' He trailed off at the sound of voices outside.

The sound of people clomping into the ship preceded Jacob, looking tired and disgruntled. 'Evening all. I hope that's dinner I smell.'

'Abydonian Jambalaya, Jacob,' said Beechworth from the tiny cooking facilities. 'With a few native ingredients to liven it up.'

'Washed down with a fine ale from my own private stock,' announced Aris Boch, appearing behind Jacob with an armload of bottles.

Jack nodded to them both. 'Still no clearance to depart,' he told them. He sent a glance at the others, warning them the subject of Daniel and Abydos was closed while Boch was around.

His expanded team settled on the assortment of blankets, old chairs and mattresses that now decorated the ancient ship. Wreaths of fragrant herbs dangled from cargo hooks in the ceiling, fighting vainly to conceal the pervasive stench of the ship's nether regions and the tart chemicals Carter had used to clean it.

'How'd it go with the Tok'ra, Dad?'

Jacob looked at his daughter with a grimace. 'They want me back—tried to convince me that an operative of lower rank could take this mission, that I should be used for more important tasks.' He took in the indignant expressions around him with a complacent smile. 'I told 'em to shove it. I told them Daniel Jackson is possibly the most important person on either side of the Tau'ri/Tok'ra alliance, and he deserves all the help we can give him.'

'Oh, Dad.' Carter reached over and hugged her father.

Jack, too, found himself a little choked up. 'Thank you, Jacob.'

Jacob winked and held out his bowl. 'Any chance of dinner?'

Day 12.

Stuck on Gaidhlig.

Still.

Departure controllers singularly unhelpful. "The blockade will lift when the blockade lifts."

Another two ship crews gave up and left in search of other markets.

Soon may have to revise cover story to justify us wanting to trade only on Tsydon.

Boch has taken Teal'c, Roberts and Beechworth on a recce for information. He continues to profess repentance.

I do not, and will not, trust him.

Ever.

We're due another check-in today. Bairnsdale can go. Cannot risk getting into a situation with The Big Wick and being ordered to abandon.

WILL NOT return without Dirt Boy.

Have developed a desire to keep a diary.

Apparently.

Jack leaned back in the battered recliner he'd dragged out into the sun. Behind him the ship squatted like a deformed toad. Smelt like one too.

On the far side of the landing field a wild assortment of cargo tramps, passenger carriers and shuttles zipped in and out of the bustle of warehouses and terminals. One particularly sleek plane hummed over his head. He watched it go, envying its occupants' ability to move. He pulled his cap off and scratched his head.

Bet that's a sweet bird to fly.

Daydreams filled his head: he pictured himself in command of that swift little ship, rocketing from planet to planet; making exotic trades with a wild variety of natives. Old customers would great him like family, buxom daughters would sob when he departed. Need Daniel to smooth the negotiations. Teal'c to do his 'I shall squash you like a bug if you do not comply' shtick. Carter could keep the ship ticking over. That'd be a great life. Welcomed in every tavern – no snakes – no unending war… One day.

Jack shook himself out of his reverie. 'Bairnsdale! Time to go.'

Booted feet thudded down the ramp. Jack was curious to see Carter next to Bairnsdale, the two women tall and assured, no doubt armed to the hilt beneath their long duster coats.

'S—Jack. I'd like to go too. There are a couple of things in my office I think would be useful.' She cut off his already-forming protest. 'I'll be quick. In and out. Ten minutes, tops.'

'What kind of "things"?'

She hesitated. 'Be quicker to show you…'

Considering the amount of gear she'd crammed into the packs she'd brought, he wondered there was anything left in her office. 'G'head.'

They moved off.

'Don't be late for supper. Teal'c's cooking and you know how he hates his food getting cold.' Don't get into anything with Hammond. 'And bring some donuts!'

Evening came quickly. The planet's diurnal cycle was eighteen hours long. Human stomachs still used to Earth time demanded their evening meal end up in the middle of the night. Since the team was on staggered watch shifts, it didn't much matter.

Talk resumed over coffee and Carter's donuts. With a cheeky grin, she'd presented two boxes, swiped from the officer's ready room. Now she was sitting in a corner fiddling with a laptop.

Jack pinned Teal'c with an expectant look. 'Find out anything today?'

Teal'c opened his mouth but Boch beat him to the punch. 'As it happens, O'Neill, we did. There's a lot of talk about the attack on Ba'al's home world. People are speculating who's behind it.'

'Several sources claim Zipacna is responsible,' Teal'c interjected smoothly.

'Zippy?' Jack grimaced as the image of the skirt-wearing, produce-adorned Goa'uld sprang to mind. 'He wouldn't have the balls,' he said bluntly.

'In the past, no,' said Jacob. 'But the Tok'ra have been gathering intel lately that suggests Zipacna has aligned himself with Anubis. If Anubis really does have the ordnance that Osiris was suggesting at the Summit, then Zipacna would be confident enough to attack someone like Ba'al.'

Jack grimaced. 'Things are changing. The balance of power is shifting – in flux, at least. Minor Goa'uld becoming more powerful, challenge and counter challenge. No doubt double-crosses galore.'

Boch looked up from his meal. 'There is a lot of talk in certain circles about Anubis, how there's a frantic scramble among the Goa'uld to either align with him or secure other allegiances in preparation to making a stand against him.'

'And Daniel's in the middle of it all.'

'Where does Yu stand?' Ferretti asked.

'He stands apart,' replied Jacob. 'As he's always done. He's never courted partnership with other System Lords, nor has he stood against them. He holds his own territory and has the fleet and armies to defend them.'

'Why did Ba'al take the doc to Yu?' Bairnsdale asked. 'He kept him hidden for so long and then suddenly he's showing him off, where everyone could see.'

'Bargaining power,' Boch said. 'Ba'al wanted something from Yu and he needed Yu to know Doctor Jackson was under his control.'

'Which leads back to why Ba'al needs Daniel,' finished Ferretti.

'I wonder…' Boch began. 'A couple of months ago I heard rumours of a secret group working within the Goa'uld, some of them may even be System Lords.'

'As did the Linvris?' Teal'c asked.

'You've heard of the Linvris?' Boch sounded impressed. 'Yes, much like the Linvris.'

'And just who is in this secret group?' Jack finished his second donut and poured a coffee for himself and Jacob.

'No idea, O'Neill. It's secret. All I know is it's a small group and they came together some time in the last year.'

'Perhaps they have aligned themselves in response to the threat posed by Anubis.' Teal'c chewed thoughtfully on his fourth donut. Jack weighed his chances of scoring another. Damn.

Boch nodded.

'Jacob?' Jack looked the general.

'News to us, Jack. But I'll make a point of asking at my next check-in.'

Bairnsdale leaned forward, excitement in her voice. 'If Ba'al is part of this group, maybe he was trying to persuade Yu to join. He could have been using Doc Jackson as an example of his 'superiority' over the Tau'ri?'

The others joined in with various opinions. Jack tuned out, focused instead on his 2IC: sitting at the back, her meal ignored as she typed furiously on her laptop. He rose and snuck up behind her.

'Watch'a doin'?'

Her flinch was as good as an admission of guilt. She recovered, entered a final string of code and cleared the screen before looking up at him, defiant and determined.

'Sir—I'm worried about Daniel's memory. I thought I could use the time here to review his mission reports and just check if there are any inconsistencies.'

Jack processed. Blinked. 'You mean you've got his mission reports? Here? Are you nuts?'

Conversation behind them stilled. Carter flushed, but didn't look away. 'Sir, they're triple encoded, protected by retinal scan and thirty-digit passwords. Any unauthorised attempt to access the reports will ignite the thermite I've placed inside the laptop.'

He kept the hard stare on her for a full twenty seconds. 'You wired your laptop?'

'Well—er—it's not my usual one—it's a spare—uh—yes, sir.'

He couldn't help the stare melting into a grin. 'Sweet. So. Find anything?' Protocol be damned. Hammond would flip if he found out, but if anything could help them find Daniel, he'd sign off on it. He plunked himself next to her.

Carter blew out a sigh of relief. 'I've just started looking, sir. He did file a report on his time on Abydos, though.'

'Bring it up.'

The document glowed white on the screen, headed by the SGC logo and admonishments of Eyes Only – Top Secret. Jack settled down to read.

MISSION REPORT:

Offworld expedition to the Planet Abydos, 8 July, 1996.

Including personal recollections of the culture, language and social structure of the Abydonian people.

Daniel Jackson, MA, PhD, PhD, PhD.

Jack glanced at the page count: 379. Oy. 'Ferretti, put some more coffee on, will you? Make it strong.' This was gonna take a while.

As it turned out, Daniel's mission report ran for only two pages, and was sparsely, tersely detailed. Jack went through it once, then again. Daniel's simply worded statements brought a wealth of images flooding Jack's memory: pyramid; saw the mine; met the chief; stayed to dinner; caught by Ra; Kasuf led the uprising… No mention of Jack getting him killed in Ra's throne room, or Daniel trying to persuade him not to kill them all.

It was perfunctory – a summation of events that had happened eighteen months prior to the telling. Following the main report was a much more expansive, carefully detailed, even loving report on every aspect of the Abydonian way of life. Jack skimmed it and made a promise to read it with the attention it deserved as soon as time allowed. He looked at the long list of mission reports: viewed like that he was actually impressed with the huge number of missions his team had completed. Finding any inconsistencies was going to keep Carter busy for a while.

When Jack woke next morning – to an already bright, hot day – she was still sitting cross-legged on her mattress, laptop burning brightly in front of her. She had it hooked up to a small naquada generator. He grinned at the thought of what kind of energiser bunny that thing could be.

'Morning, sir.' Bairnsdale handed him coffee. 'Ship is secure. Sandy and General—Jacob have gone to the shipping office for an update.'

'Thanks, Joyce.' Getting his people to drop the formal titles was an uphill battle.

'Pleasure… Jack.'

'Sam? Carter!' When she finally looked up there was a puzzlement etched in her tired face. 'You been at that all night?'

'Yes, sir. I've found other inconsistencies in Daniel's reports.'

'Really?' Jack felt a cold shock sweep over him. He really hadn't expected her to find anything. Hadn't wanted there to be anything to find.

'Only little things; nothing that affected the mission or our safety. But, there's something else. I've been checking the logs of who accessed Daniel's reports.'

'Why?'

'I noticed something odd.'

He sculled his coffee and crawled over to her. 'How odd?'

'I'm not sure. It's probably none of my business.'

'Spill it, Carter.'

She flipped the screen back to the report list and highlighted a line of dates and names, all of which were the same: Colonel J. O'Neill, 24 October 1997.

'What is that?'

'Access logs. Sir, you accessed all of Daniel's reports from the beginning of the program to the mission in which Nem took Daniel captive. I just wondered what you were looking for.'

'No, I didn't.'

'Uh, yes, you did.' She pointed at the accusing screen.

'Did not.'

'Sir—'

'Carter, I haven't read any of these files since Daniel originally sent them to me.'

'But, your access code was used.'

'Someone else must have…' He trailed off as the flat rejection of that idea widened her eyes. Yeah, like he gave his authorisation code to anyone.

'When was that?'

'24 October… Oh, no.'

'What?'

'Sir, that was the day Hathor arrived and took control—'

Of the base and all the men, including me. 'You mean, she—I—'

'You weren't yourself, sir.' She sounded apologetic.

Sickened, he slumped back against the cold metal wall. Hathor had used him to plunder Daniel's mission reports. She'd gained all sorts of sensitive intel on the planets they'd visited. Never gonna be free of that cow.

'Just Daniel's reports?'

'Well, I've only checked Daniel's. We can investigate further when we get back to the SGC.'

'Must be how she got so much information on the base.' It was a question that had never properly been answered. 'It's too late now, but we'd better check the rest of the base archives when we get back. What?'

Another frown was forming on her forehead. 'If Hathor had accessed our reports, even just Daniel's, why did she go through that charade with the memory scanner when she took us prisoner?'

'Why indeed. And it was a charade, wasn't it? None of the intel we gave up was worth a damn.'

'None of this makes sense, sir. The more we investigate, the more questions we have.'

'Perhaps Hathor sought to correlate your recollections with the written accounts in the mission reports.' Teal'c spoke up from the shadowy corner where he'd been kel'no'reeming.

Jack felt as if he were slowly sinking in quicksand. 'Why?' he asked. Again.

'To verify the accuracy of the reports?' mused Carter.

'Or to verify the accuracy of the memory recall device,' Teal'c said.

Jack's brain finally kicked in and latched on to the vital word. 'Memories. Everything keeps coming back to memories. Daniel said Ba'al was searching his memories, too.'

'Hathor was pretty interested in what happened to Ra. She could have wanted more detail about the uprising on Abydos. Daniel's report was pretty sketchy – maybe that's why she used the memory device on us.'

Jack grimaced. 'Why is it every overdressed popinjay of an alien wants to futz with Daniel's head?'

'He has received more attention than one would assume to be usual,' Teal'c commented.

'What's usual about someone channel-surfing through your past?'

'Or playing your worst experiences over and over in 3-D?'

'Or searching for a wife who's been dead for thousands of years. He was fuzzy for days after we got him back from Nem.'

'Or being subjected to a Goa'uld hand jewel three times.' Teal'c's voice was filled with anger. 'I have not known even the strongest Jaffa to survive such an attack even once.'

'Four times,' Ferretti piped up. He, Bairnsdale and Roberts were sprawled on their bedding, listening intently to SG-1's conversation.

Jack pinned the major with a hard stare. 'I'll say – for the tenth time today – what?'

Sam and Teal'c were likewise surprised. 'Lou, Daniel's been attacked with the ribbon device three times, not four,' Carter said.

'Not according to the doc.' He frowned at the flat denial coming back at him. 'Okay, when you and Doc Fraiser and Daniel came back from Egypt, I picked you up at the airport, remember? Daniel wasn't feeling well so I drove him home while you went on to the base.'

Carter nodded and Jack remembered his own frustration at the delays caused by domestic flights that had foiled his and Teal'c's attempts to reach their team.

'Well, by the time we reached his apartment, Daniel was really unwell – balance was shot, headache, blurred vision, you name it. He said Amonet zapping him for the third time might have been the end of the cycle, but now that Osiris had got him he was afraid there were more System Lords lining up in the future. Bad things come in threes, you see.'

'He must have been confused,' Carter said dismissively.

'Possibly he was – then. But the next day I called by with his Jeep. He'd left it at the mountain. He was feeling better, still headachy and tired but compos mentis, you know? He said getting drilled by those ribbon devices was the worst and four times was just ridiculous. He said if I saw another Goa'uld coming at him with one I had his permission to shoot them. Which was kind of a joke, but that's how I remember what he said. Four times.'

Jack felt a shiver creep over him. He glanced swiftly at Teal'c and Carter. 'Klorel got him on the Ha'tak.'

'Osiris did it in Egypt,' added Carter.

'Amonet attacked Daniel Jackson…' Teal'c broke off, still discomfited by the action he'd then been forced into.

'That's three. When else has Daniel mixed it with a System Lord, and we didn't… what—notice?'

'He didn't name the perp, Jack. Sorry, I thought you knew,' Ferretti said.

Teal'c and Carter were looking as appalled and confused as Jack felt. He was silent, every encounter SG-1 had made with a System Lord or even a Goa'uld raced through his head like a fast forwarded montage of bad movies.

Apophis—no.

Multiple dudes on Chulak—no.

Klorel—check.

Chronos—no.

Nirrti—no.

Yu—no.

Sokar—no.

Osiris—check.

Amonet—check.

Hathor… Daniel had spent a lot of time with The Cow. Had she violated his mind as well as his body? And then there was the Goa'uld Mardi Gras. The thing – well, one thing – he'd hated about that whole set-up was that Daniel had been alone in amidst a swarm of Goa'uld, his only backup out of reach on a Tel'tak. Osiris had nearly filleted him, Yu had nearly… what else had happened? But, no – Mardi Gras had been a whole year after the Egypt debacle. So that left…

'Perhaps Hathor attacked Daniel Jackson at the SGC,' Teal'c said quietly.

'He was pretty out of it when we found him.' Carter said the words reluctantly, as if invading Daniel's privacy somehow.

'And yet there was no mark upon Daniel Jackson's skin, as such attacks invariably produce.'

'There is another possibility, Jack.' Ferretti leaned forward, his expression intent. 'The doc spent time as a prisoner of Ra, remember? He thought he'd coerced Daniel into killing us outside the pyramid. Maybe that was the first time?'

'Could be, Lou. He never really went into what happened with Ra.'

'Would it be in the report he filed, sir?'

'There's nothing in his official report about being ribboned. The rest of the document is about Abydonian culture. He never mentioned it either, not to me, anyway. That's the problem, Carter. If something happened to him, something that's causing consequences now, we need to know about it.' Jack glared out the open door at the rows of stalled traders. If it had been Hathor who'd ribboned Daniel, well there was no real way of finding out. But, if it had been Ra…

He got to his feet and ferreted through a crate of his gear. Sunglasses, GDO, canteen. 'Carter, keep digging through Daniel's reports. Concentrate on the times he was ribboned and both times we met Hathor. Teal'c, keep an eye on the kids and fill in Jacob when he gets back.' He shoved a handful of power bars into his jacket pockets. 'Lou, fancy a walk?'

Ferretti gave him the standard infantryman's groan, even as he got to his feet. He grabbed his own gear, and was halfway to the door before Teal'c could arch an eyebrow. 'How far are we going?' Lou asked.

A thin smile tugged Jack's mouth. 'From here to the 'gate. And, depending if Skaara's at the pyramid or not, from the 'gate to Nagada.'

'You are going to Abydos, O'Neill?' Teal'c enquired.

'We'll be back – six hours, tops.' Jack swept his gaze over their astonished faces. 'Don't leave without us.'

Jack slapped Lou on the shoulder and took off at a steady jog, headed for the Stargate.

They didn't have to wait to use the Stargate and in a timeless sweep of molecules they stepped onto the Land of the Light. Jack made straight for the DHD and began dialling Abydos as soon as the wormhole disengaged.

~ Taurus ~

Ferretti stood facing the dark forest. 'Y'know they really should rename this place.'

~ Serpens Caput ~

'Land of the Not-So-Light?'

~ Capricorn ~

'Land of the Light-But-Not-Where-You're-Standing.'

~Monoceros ~

'Land of It's-Really-Much-Lighter-Somewhere-Else.'

~ Sagittarius ~

'Half and Half Land.'

~ Orion ~

Jack grinned and punched the final, point of origin, chevron. The Stargate blew out the excess energy generated by the wormhole and settled into inviting blue ripples. Jack punched the SGC's code into the GDO. 'Light's green – let's go!'

Six long strides and a deep exhalation carried him through, and then he was blinking in dim gloom and inhaling warm dry air scented with sweaty bodies, mastage dung fires and enticing food.

Ferretti sniffed loudly. 'Man, that brings back some memories. I swear, I'm gonna retire here. Bring the wife, get a little mud brick place. Heaven.'

It sounded like a good plan to Jack too, but he didn't let himself dwell on the future. Noting with pride the 'gate sentries had taken cover behind reinforced bunkers, he waved at their cautiously emerging figures.

'Colonel Jack O'Neill – Earth!' he announced. Behind them a metallic rasp echoed as the iris slid shut over the 'gate.

'O'Near!'

'Hey, kids.' He recognised a couple of original members of Skaara's crew. More people emerged from behind pillars and out of bolt holes, and quickly swamped the two of them in hugs.

'Welcome, O'Near, Ferretti!' Nabeh grinned at them. He saluted, nearly as crisply as a fresh recruit.

Jack zipped a salute back at him. 'Nabeh, nice to see you. Everything okay here?'

'Our peace is undisturbed, Colonel Jack. Since Dan'yer brought us the eye-riss we have not been visited by the false gods.'

'That's good to hear.' Lou glanced appreciatively at the young soldiers, and Jack knew what was running through his mind: their little army of boys was all grown up now.

Jack nodded, steeling himself for the delivery of their bad news. Daniel was honoured like no other among the Abydonians – no matter how much he protested. After the near-miss with Amonet and the final loss of Sha're and her baby, Daniel had implemented a trade system for the Abydonian people. In return for small, regular shipments of naquada ore, the SGC had installed an iris over the 'gate and furnished the Abydonians with sufficient radios and weapons to protect themselves.

'Where is Dan'yer, O'Near? He did not come?' A young woman, barely eighteen, looked hopefully past him.

'He's not with us this time. Is Skaara here?'

'Skaara is working in the food-lands,' another said, voice filled with incredulity. 'He spends much time there. He says he enjoys it!'

Fondness twitched Jack's mouth. Another part of Earth's payment for the ore was tools and seeds for market gardens – enough to feed the growing city – along with solar-driven irrigation pumps and ploughs adapted for smelly mastages.

'We need to speak with him. Can—'

'I will escort you,' Nabeh jumped in. 'Akil, you are in charge of the guard.' He sprinted off to the doorway and poised there impatiently.

Lou and Jack bade quick farewells and hurried after Nabeh, through the twisting dark passages of the pyramid, along the sun-dappled rows of the Hypostyle Hall, and out into the blazing sunlight. A momentary pause for sunglasses, then they were striding down the ramp, following their guide across the golden sands of Abydos. By the time they crested the first dune they were both sweating freely.

Lou gave Jack an ironic grin. 'Next trade shipment needs to have some dune buggies.'

'Good idea.' Jack sucked in a lungful of dry air. It tasted both alien and familiar, and he savoured it. The fine sand gradually made its way into his boots as they slogged up the ever-changing dunes, sliding down into the more accessible gullies. He felt faintly ridiculous wearing jeans and a Minnesota Wild shirt, but at least they were far better than the off-world alien leathers the mission had started out in. His hands kept reaching to steady his P90, but it was stashed back on their ship. There'd been no need to bring it – large weapons would have drawn attention on Gaidhlig - and there were ordnance dumps here on Abydos if needed. Still, he felt exposed with just a zat in his pocket.

After half an hour they passed the mine workers' rest tent, now substantially better equipped and significantly less occupied.

Nabeh pointed at a small party of workers heading to the mine for the afternoon shift. 'My brother Sanna says the mine is a much better place to work since Dan'yer made it safe, but I am happy to be a militia guard. That place is evil. It nearly killed me when I was a child.' He scowled hatefully at the distant forbidding gouge in the land.

'There been any accidents since mining started up again?' Ferretti asked.

'No one has died, not even fallen off a ladder. The Earth engin-eers are very strict. Sanna says they are too cautious sometimes, and they would get more ore the old fashioned way, but I think it is better nobody dies retrieving the false god's rocks.'

'Much better,' Jack murmured.

They could see tiny solar-driven diggers working at the base of the black scar in the rock. Above, abandoned ladders hung high on the walls, a constant reminder of the threat of death that had been a way of life for every Abydonian living under Ra's iron rule: how one slip could – and so often had – sent a man, woman or child plunging hundreds of metres to the mine floor.

Another half hour brought them to the crest of the last and biggest dune.

'Home sweet home,' Ferretti breathed.

There, gilded bronze in the slanting rays of the sun, Nagada sat waiting for them. Jack couldn't help smiling. It was a beautiful place, filled with good people. Ferretti's comment about retirement filtered through his mind, a tempting even foreseeable goal. But, first things first.

They began their final descent, sliding three feet with every step. The city looked much the same: strong walls ready to rebuff the fierce dust storms. But now there was an addition. Jack had expected it, but seeing the actual thing was still surprising. Another wall, half the height of the main wall extended two hundred metres out and ran horizontally along the full width of the city, broken only by a guard tower and gate in the centre. Green tips of trees could be seen amid large cloth shade sails.

Walking through this entrance was like stepping into a new world. The scouring dryness of the air was replaced by moist earthy scents; green life surrounded their senses. The temperature dropped by noticeable degrees, and water tinkled and splashed in the background.

'Oh, my.' Jack felt a jaw-dropping grin develop on his face. Look what you did, Daniel.

To either side of the causeway leading into the city, rows of crops, fruit trees and raised vegetable beds stretched the length of the city walls. Foot-high corn rows marched along the stone wall, young citrus trees already bore their first fruit; broccoli, carrots, radishes, peas, dozens of Earth-derived crops interspersed with the few native Abydonian plants that grew edible produce… everywhere they looked plants were blooming strongly.

'Hey, the bore's working well.' Ferretti grinned. 'No pun intended.' Lou detoured to examine the artesian bore he'd helped install a year ago. Solar-powered pumps brought water up from deep underground and fed it into wells and irrigation pipes all over the garden. It was a little odd to see pvc piping next to home-made hemp ropes, tough Kevlar shade sails over a mastage pulling a single-furrow plough, but damn, didn't the results speak for themselves?

Daniel had kept Jack and the team up to date with the developments on Abydos, but it had been months since he'd been able to personally visit; SG-1's crippling mission schedule kept them moving constantly. You need to see this, buddy. In fact, when we bring you home, I think a little R&R leave here will be top of my recommendations. Jack wandered through a grove of olive trees and spotted a familiar figure, ass up in a bed of cabbages.

'Yo! Skaara!'

Skaara jerked upright, face creasing into a huge smile. 'O'Near!' He dropped his tools and jogged over.

Jack folded the kid into a bear hug and didn't let go for a long time. 'Told you to call me Jack,' he muttered into those Rastafarian ringlets.

'Jack. It is good to see you. We did not expect your visit.'

'You look well, Skaara.' He did look good: skin shining and tanned, he'd put on a little weight too. Much better than the thin, pale kid they'd brought home from Tollana.

'I am very well, Jack. I am a farmer! I spend my days battling insects and desert lizards. Do you like our garden? We have followed the instructions of Dan'yer and his gardeners, and now we are giving food to the people. Soon, we will have enough for everybody, all year round.'

'Sure beats yaphetta bread and gruel, I guess.' The staple subsistence diet of the Abydonians had been one of the more subtle methods employed by Ra to keep control.

'I have much to show you, Jack. And Dan'yer. Is that him?'

'No, that's Ferretti. Lou!'

Ferretti answered his summons and received a hug from Skaara.

'Did Dan'yer not come?'

Jack opened his mouth but was drowned out by a peal of horns from overhead. Startled, he looked up to the watch towers over the main gate. The platform was packed with people, hanging over the railing waving at them. Two youngsters were blowing so enthusiastically into the enormous horns their feet left the platform with every gust.

'Think our cover's blown, Colonel,' Lou yelled.

Jack swept his cap off and waved back. All along the wall heads were appearing over ramparts or at windows and balconies. Cheers and ululating calls of greeting showered down on them as the news of their arrival spread.

'We'd better go pay our respects to Kasuf.'

Thin brown fingers closed over his arm, steely strength masked by the gentle grip. 'Jack.' Skaara stared up at him. 'Where is my brother?'

Jack replied quietly, his words carrying under the noise overhead. 'Daniel's been taken captive. By Ba'al. We need your help, Skaara.'

Skaara led them through the twisting streets of the city. It was slow progress. Everyone wanted to see them, shake their hand or touch their head. Jack never really liked the whole 'returning hero' thing, but it gave him a little extra time to put his thoughts together. Finally they were ushered over one last rope and wood bridge, and through the low door of Kasuf's home to exchange bows and greetings with the head man.

Kasuf regarded them with his usual expression of tempered suspicion. His gaze swept past them, found only his son and townsfolk and returned to Jack, questions already forming.

'O'Neill, Ferretti. You are welcome in my home. Sit.' Kasuf sat in his own carved chair and indicated the padded benches along one wall.

Jack and Lou sat, Skaara perched on a cushion at their feet, and as many people as possible squeezed into the doorway and open windows. A couple of young women, cousins of Skaara if Jack's memory held, served tea laced with pungent native bush mint. After the customary first sip, Jack set his cup down and regarded Kasuf. He looked well, hardly changed from the first time they had met. He held the grief of his only daughter's death hidden from public view.

'Kasuf, I'm sorry to bring bad news. Daniel has been captured by the Goa'uld.'

Shock rippled through the onlookers. Kasuf stilled the murmuring with a raised hand. 'Is my Good Son now a false god?' His hand settled protectively on Skaara's shoulder.

'No,' Jack said, a little too forcefully. 'Not unless it's happened in the last few weeks. He was kidnapped on Earth. A couple of weeks ago we found out it was Ba'al who had him.'

Kasuf peered intently at him. 'How long has my Good Son been imprisoned by this Ba'al?'

Ferretti shifted uneasily on his seat. Jack straightened and said evenly, 'Daniel's been missing for fifteen weeks now.' Tallied like that it hurt even more. 'For a lot of that time we thought he was still on Earth. I apologise for not informing you earlier. You're Daniel's family, and you had a right to know.'

Kasuf dismissed his apology. 'What does this false god want from my Good Son?'

'Well, that's part of why we're here,' Ferretti said. 'We were hoping Skaara could answer a few questions we have.'

Kasuf gave a short nod and prodded Skaara's shoulder. 'You will go with them. Find my Good Son Daniel as he found you, and return him to his home.'

'Oh, actually…'

'We didn't mean…' Jack and Lou spoke and trailed off, both realising that while they had no wish to put Skaara in harm's way he was a uniquely valuable resource that could help them infiltrate the Goa'uld.

Skaara leapt to his feet, determination shining fiercely in his face. 'I am ready to leave, O'Near.'

'And I!'

'Me—I will come!'

'Me—me—' Several of Skaara's young cohorts, veterans of the uprising, pushed their way through the press of bodies and more could be heard outside, taking up the call to join the rescue party.

'Whoa, wait. Much as we appreciate the offers we don't have a lot of room on the Space… uhm, our ship.' Jack watched Skaara rummage in a chest and pull out a travel cloak and his MP5. He slung the rifle over his shoulder and in a heartbeat transformed from amiable young farmer to seasoned warrior. Jack didn't know whether to feel proud or immensely sad.

'Tobay, Seni, come with me.' Skaara gave his father a short respectful bow and headed for the door. 'Janeth, the seedlings must be planted before the full moon. Mala, there are grubs on the grapefruit trees…' His voice faded as he vanished through the crowd.

Jack shared a bemused glance with Lou.

'Thought we were just gonna ask some questions?'

He shrugged helplessly. That was the plan.

'O'Neill.' Kasuf's sharp voice demanded attention. 'Find my Good Son Daniel and bring him home.'

'We will, Kasuf. I promise.'

Dismissing them, Kasuf nodded once. Jack headed for the door. The spectators parted for them, but Kasuf's voice reached out with a pleading demand. 'Take care of my child.'

Jack met the head man's stare. 'On my life, Kasuf, I'll bring them both home.'

It was slow progress back to the Stargate. News of their mission had spread through the entire city; people crowded the walkways above and the streets around them to wish them well. Everywhere Jack could hear 'Dan'yer' in the swell of chatter. Cousins, aunts, uncles of Skaara and Sha're – Daniel's family – pressed close, stopping them again and again to wish them well or push gifts into their hands. Ferretti was already loaded with a sack full of food. Jack handed over the pile of flatbread and cauldron of stew he'd just received, when a tiny woman, no more than five feet high, grabbed his hand.

'Dan'yer… safe.' She thrust a small sack into his hands, its pungent, crinkling contents had to be medicinal herbs. 'He safe us. Colonel Jack safe Dan'yer.' She added a rapid stream of Abydonian.

Jack leaned over and squeezed her hand. 'I will. And thank you.'

He pushed on, shaking hands, receiving gifts, waving at familiar faces. Oddly, this expectation that he would return Daniel to his home – homes – wasn't weighing him down. Instead he was buoyed by their sure belief that of course he would find their wayward son. All around he could hear English mixed into the Abydonian calls of advice being shouted from all sides. Daniel's influence on his adopted home rained down on Jack, and he knew that he only had to ask and he would have an army, raised in an instant, ready to fight for the freedom of an unassuming archaeologist.

A middle-aged man, the kids' uncle, thrust a pile of thick robes into Jack's arms as he finally got to the main gate. A young girl, looking – for a heart-stopping moment – the image of Sha're, reached up on tiptoes and placed a cloth-wrapped bundle on top of the stack in his arms: something sweet by the smell of it.

'Thank you.' He smiled at her, and with difficulty pulled himself away and caught up to Skaara who was giving his gardeners rapid-fire instructions. Ferretti staggered up, a walking quartermaster's store. Tobay and Seni took some of the load, and the group followed Skaara out the garden gate, sped on their way with a melodious sending from the well-wishers crowding the balconies and ramparts. Jack could see Kasuf in his distinctive red robes, standing alone on his balcony, grim and unmoving.

'Skaara, you're sure about this? We really just came to ask you some questions. It could be dangerous when we get to Ba'al's homeworld.' He'd never intended to remove Skaara from the safety of Abydos. The boy had a lifetime of suffering already, but there was no denying his insight into the Goa'uld mindset was unique and could prove invaluable when they went undercover on Ba'al's homeworld.

The look Skaara gave him reminded Jack this was no longer the kid who had been impressed with his lighter. There was a world-weary maturity in this young man that spoke of experiences not known to many a seasoned solider.

'Dan'yer is my brother. I will not leave him in the hands of the demons. Sha'uri will not let me rest if I do.' His gaze went over Jack's shoulder to the city's burial grounds.

Jack felt a little shiver. If anyone was going to come back as an avenging angel, it was Daniel's fiery wife. He smiled at Skaara's use of her maiden name. Okay, then.

'Well, we've been trying to work out what Ba'al wants with Daniel. He hasn't stuck a snake in him so far. Daniel managed to get a message to us, and three weeks ago the Tok'ra filmed Ba'al taking Daniel on some kind of state visit to Yu.'

'Ba'al took Dan'yer to Yu's homeworld?' Skaara sounded surprised.

'Yeah. He was veiled and done up like some kind of harem… worker, but there's no hiding Daniel's eyes. We think he was drugged though.'

A scowl creased Skaara's face as he led the climb up the first dune, and he did not speak until he reached the crest. 'Ba'al is well known for his scheming. Many times he would undermine Apophis' plans. He would often be ahead of Apophis, already in possession of a resource or piece of technology sought by my demon's father. Then he would declare surprise at Apophis' desire for the item in question and offer to sell it, always at a price much greater than its worth.' A thin smile spread across his face. 'Ba'al vexed Apophis greatly.'

Skaara continued down the slope but Jack and Lou both paused for a final look back at Nagada. Dusk was falling gently over the city, burnishing it in rose-coloured light. It was a city at peace: hard-won and long overdue. Reluctantly, Jack and Lou turned away and hurried after the youngsters.

'So he's a schemer,' Lou said. 'Would he use Daniel in one of these schemes? He hasn't made a ransom demand.'

'In the message Daniel got to us, Skaara,' Jack added, 'he said Ba'al was searching his memories. He had something like the memory recall machine the Tok'ra use.'

'I know of this machine. Apophis sent Klorel to bargain for it, but Ba'al would not sell. He valued it highly because of the effort taken to steal it from the Tok'ra.'

'Say what?' Lou managed to sputter while Jack's brain just hiccuped in disbelief. 'That thing Ba'al is torturing Daniel with is Aunt Bertha's machine?'

Skaara blinked. 'Your aunt also has a mind sifting device?'

'Oh, no, that's just a nickname for one of the, ah… Tok'ra.' Ferretti refused to meet Jack's gaze.

'Remind me to have a word with Jacob,' Jack muttered.

Skaara continued. 'It was well-known among the Goa'uld that Ba'al had stolen an important machine from the Tok'ra. It caused much laughter amongst the System Lords particularly because it was the second time such technology had been removed from the Tok'ra.'

'Hathor,' Jack spat the name. 'She used it on us. And we didn't question for a moment when the Tok'ra turned up and used it… on us.'

Lou grimaced. 'Starting to feel like a guinea pig, Jack?'

'Oh, yeah. Okay, so this memory technology was developed by the Tok'ra and stolen by the Goa'uld. Daniel said Ba'al's version was way more powerful. He also said this machine was bringing up memories from Amonet and Osiris.'

Skaara whirled around so fast his braided hair hit him in the face. He slid a few feet down the dune as he stared up at Jack. 'How could Dan'yer possess the memories of Amonet and Osiris?' The alarm on his face seemed to Jack an over-reaction to the news.

'Uh, well, we're guessing that happened when they attacked him with the ribbon thing. He didn't say what the memories were, but that's the only thing they have in common concerning Daniel.' Apart from both hosts being someone he loved.

The information served to increase Skaara's anxiety. 'Amonet attacked Dan'yer with the Ninvan'etak, the hand ribbon? When?'

'It was the day Sha're died. I thought you knew, Skaara. Amonet damn near killed him with that thing. Sha're managed to slip Daniel a message about her son through the connection. I guess something from Amonet filtered through as well.'

'And Osiris? Did Osiris attack Dan'yer the same way?'

'Yeah. Osiris bolted to an abandoned temple, on Earth. Carter, Fraiser and Daniel tried to stop her. She threw Carter and Fraiser against a wall and drilled Daniel with the ribbon. He said she wanted to know where Isis was. He managed to stab her with a drug and she took off in a Tel'tak.'

Tobay and Seni's eyes were saucered, amazed by all the talk of false gods in such familiar terms. In contrast, Skaara was troubled. He resumed their trek with long, swift strides.

Jack caught him up, determined to find some answers to what felt like an ever-growing pile of questions.

'This is why I wanted to talk to you. We think Daniel's memories are being affected by these attacks…' Jack gave him a run-down of everything they'd concluded so far. He took a long swig from his canteen, his mouth dry from all this talking, and the suns' heat was still merciless despite being just an afterglow on the horizon.

Skaara didn't slacken his pace; he strode across the Abydonian sands with determined purpose, face scrunched in a scowl. After ten minutes of concentrated thought he finally spoke. 'There is something wrong, Jack. In the time I was a prisoner of the demon Klorel, he was careful not to give me access to his own knowledge, but now and then some things would concern him so greatly that I could 'hear' his thoughts.

'After the failed attack on Earth, he was desperate to conceal from Apophis that he had failed to kill Dan'yer with the Ninvan'etak. I thought it was his pride that he could not admit a failure, but… there was something more behind his fear. I—' He spat in frustration. 'I will endeavour to remember.'

'And Daniel? Did he ever tell you about what happened to him when Ra had him captive on his ship?'

Skaara looked at Jack, face filled with surprise. 'Dan'yer was attacked by the false one when he revived Sha'uri in the sarcophagus. The false one used the Ninvan'etak on Dan'yer but they fell into the ring transporter and escaped.'

The image of Daniel and Sha're being deposited in the 'gate room next to the headless Anubis guard flashed clearly across Jack's mind. There'd been so much going on he hadn't questioned what had happened, how Daniel had retrieved Catherine's necklace from Ra. He'd seemed okay. They'd partied, then Jack, Lou and Charlie had gone home.

'Ra did ribbon Daniel. He was the fourth. Or, technically, the first.'

'After you returned home, Jack, Dan'yer fell ill. He suffered greatly from fever and such headaches that he cried out with the pain. Sha'uri… she feared he would die. She nursed him for three days, gave him the leaves of the minjou grass. When Dan'yer recovered he never spoke of it again.'

The rest of the journey was made in silence. Both Jack and Skaara had much to think through. Finally they were striding up the ramp and into the Hypostyle hall, its cool shadows a welcome relief from the suns. Without pause they went down to the 'gate room. Skaara spoke briefly with the lads on guard duty while Jack dialled up Gaidhlig. The 'gate whooshed into life and with a final farewell, Jack led the group into the wormhole.

They emerged into a late evening where it had already been raining for some time. The downpour washed away the sand and heat of Abydos. Ferretti took point, sloshing through puddles toward the main street. Tobay and Seni murmured quietly, excited and amazed by their first journey to a new world.

So deep in thought was Jack, he jumped when a figure detached from the shadows of the central fountain.

'Jack? Lou?' It was Jacob.

'Way to give a guy a coronary,' Jack growled.

'Sorry, but I've been standing in the rain for hours.' Jacob fell into step with them. 'The ban's been lifted. We're cleared for Tsydon. We can go as soon as you're ready.'

Many thanks to Lex for the beta.