Disclaimer: Not mine.

People keep saying this is like a long prologue and when is Harry going to be main. Hate to point this out but this is normal. SGC has a flagship team already. Harry is a simple translator here, of course he's not going to be in the thick of things, unless Daniel as his superior is out of the picture. He will not be joining a team on a permanent basis or anything like that. But more and more will change because he is there, helping in the background and sometimes foreground. things will change once he's away from the sgc.

Chapter 4

Harry left the base and drove back to his small home. After tomorrow he'd be out of a job which really sucked. Working for the SGC was the whole reason he'd come to America. He went inside and made a pot of teas before sending off a message to the US Ministry. After that there was nothing he could do until he heard back so he went online and began looking at possible positions for someone with his qualifications, just in case. He picked up an ancient text written in Parseltongue and went to work on the took two hours for a reply to come through and he stared at it in shock before re-reading it. He groaned and let his head hit the wall. How would taking care of Kinsey fix this? The order to close the program down had already gone through. Though it would stop further issues to take the bigoted idiot out. And it didn't say he had to kill him. He went into his bedroom and broke out his gear, changing into the black dragon hide, trousers and boots, a black turtleneck went on and then the matching dragon hide jacket went over the top. He slipped a few potions into his belt as well as some knives and then vanished, glad he'd tagged the man with a tracking charm in the hallway.

Harry slipped into the hotel room and past security to find the Senator fast asleep. A few whispered words in Latin and then a potion down his throat and his work was done. He left the hotel the same way he'd entered and then randomly apparatus around the country for a bit before heading home to get some sleep. Instead he found a new message telling him that they had to know if the threat of attack was genuine and he sighed. Not like he could apparating to another planet! Which left only one other option. He packed a bottomless bag with everything he might need, including the clothes he'd been wearing and then went to have a long, hot shower. He set his alarm and managed three hours sleep before he was dressing and leaving for his final day on base to help clean out the department.

Everyone at the base seemed in a sort of shocked daze, unable to believe it was really over. Daniel was silent as they worked even as some of the other scientists talked amongst themselves. Eventually Sam came to collect Daniel and Harry activated the listening charm.

"Hammond's given up. They're going to bury the 'gate day after tomorrow." He heard O'Neill say after several minutes of silence.

"Then I must return through the Stargate as soon as possible."

"Yes, we all should go through the 'gate as soon as possible." Daniel eagerly agreed with the Jaffa and Harry straightened up slightly, listening intently even as he packed some of Daniel's thousands of books.

"Whoa whoa whoa, go through, to where?" Sam interjected.

"To the coordinates I got in the other reality."

"Daniel, dammit!"

"Jack—it was real."

"Hey, even if it was, how do we know that that address correlates with this reality?"

"Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't there?"

"We should enter the coordinates and attempt to open the 'gate."

"Okay, hold on. Has anyone considered that we would be in gross violation of orders? Sir, we would be court-martialled the second we got back." Sam argued quietly, obviously not wanting to be overheard.

"If. If we got back."

"Jack, if we don't go through, what I saw in the other reality could happen here. This whole planet could be wiped out. Now in the other reality, by the time I left, Sara was dead, Carter, your whole family was dead, hell, I was dead. Everyone was dead."

"Daniel, I got it."

"Okay, well don't you think we should see if we can stop the same slaughter from happening here? Let me ask you something, Jack. If we don't go through now, and the Goa'uld do attack later, how are you gonna to feel?"

"How are just the four of us going to stop the attack anyway, even if we do go through?" And Sam was still trying to be the voice of reason but he hoped they decided to go, five of them would have better luck stopping this than him alone, even with magic.

"Well, we'd have a lot better chance now than we would trying to stop an overwhelming onslaught later. Trust me—I have seen it."

"If the coordinates are for a Goa'uld world which is not on the Abydos cartouche, the Goa'uld will most likely not expect us. I believe a medical attack could be successful."

"Surgical attack, Teal'c. It's called a surgical attack, and I'd feel like an idiot."

"Sir?"

"I was answering Daniel's question. If we don't do something now, and they do attack later, I'd feel like an idiot. We go".

"I too will go." Teal'c agreed and Harry could feel Sam hesitating.

"It's not an order, Captain."

"I understand that, Colonel. Thank you. I'm going." She finally conceded and Harry smothered a grin. So he was finally going on a mission with the infamous SG-1.


Harry geared up, once again in his black clothes and then slipped into the armoury to nab a sidearm. He then made his way silently and invisible to the gateroom and settled in to wait for SG-1. He stayed still as Daniel and Teal'c brought in a MALP before heading for the control room. He grinned as the klaxons sounded. "Attention all personnel: unauthorized Stargate activation."

"Carter, close the blast doors and corridors to Alpha and Charlie. Disable 'em." Jack ordered, well the whole base knew where they were now.

"I need an authorized officer's security code to disable." She answered and he leant over the keyboard, typing quickly.

"There you go." He offered and she locked the area down even as the wormhole established.

"All right, MALP's on its way." Daniel called as he sent it through the gate.

"Should reach its destination in 3…2…1." She called and they all looked to the screen only to find it black.

"What happened? We lose signal?"

"No, sir. We are receiving video. Point of arrival is dark. Switching to infrared." She flipped it over and a DHD came into view as well as some large crates.

"Looks ancient Egyptian." Daniel commented as he leant closer.

"Possibly Goa'uld." Teal'c agreed.

"No signs of life in the immediate vicinity of the probe." Sam studied the readouts from the probe.

"Security breached." The computer announced and Daniel looked at the screen. "They just got corridor C-9 open."

"All right, let's go." Jack grabbed his gun and they moved out. SG-1 rushed into the Gate Room only to hesitate as they saw the man waiting at the base of the ramp.

"Harry?"

"You've been teaching me to read the language, if you need to split up you'll need another translator." He pointed out calmly.

"Dr Potter…."

"I know the risks Colonel. I'm coming." He stated firmly and Jack sighed but waved him on. They ran up the ramp and through the Stargate. Hammond and Ferretti entered with troops just as Teal'c entered the wormhole. As soon as he was through the gate Jack yanked his night vision goggles down and scanned the room. He removed them and turned on a flashlight, as did the others. There was no light except for that from the flashlights as they fanned out.

"Daniel, send back the MALP."

"Doesn't look like there are any doors or windows."

"Many Goa'uld facilities disguise doorways within their structure." Teal'c answered as Daniel began to dial earth.

Harry wandered over to one of the crates and tapped it lightly. "Hey Teal'c, what are these things?"

"Transport containers. Much like your shipping crates.

"So they're shipping something through the 'gate?"

"Or receiving."

"Let's have a look inside, shall we?" Jack grinned and Harry nodded. The Stargate activated and Daniel commanded the MALP through it. Teal'c opened a crate and Jack and Harry peered inside.

"Cool. What are these things?" The crate interior showed two staff weapons and some smaller devices. Teal'c picked up one of the smaller devices.

"This is a Goa'uld zat'nik'tel. A weapon using a different form of energy less powerful than that of a staff weapon. Less destructive but still quite deadly." The Stargate disengaged as he spoke.

"Sweet. Pass 'em out. What'd you call it?" he tossed one to Harry who hit the button experimentally, causing it to uncoil.

"Zat'nik'tel."

"Right. Let's call it a zat gun, huh? How do you fire it?"

"One need only squeeze it here to fire." O'Neill did as instructed and extended the zat to the ready position like Harry's. Harry squeezed again and his shut down. He slipped it into his belt.

"The Goa'uld take great pleasure in discharging the weapon only once on a subject, causing him great pain, disabling but not killing him. A second shot will kill most subjects."

"Nice." Sam smiled as she put hers into her belt as well. A whining noise began and built in intensity.

"What the hell's that?" Jack asked, looking around for a threat. Harry hid a wince at the noise, it was not pleasant.

"What's happening, Teal'c?"

"I am unsure." The sound continued to build, then there was a clunk and a shimmering and everyone except Teal'c went flying across the room, though Harry managed to simply fall to his knees. Daniel fell down the stairs in front of the Gate and landed face down.

"Everybody okay?" Jack called as they all regained their feet.

"Yeah, what was that?"

"Felt like some kind of weird planetary shift." Sam offered and Harry shook his head.

"Felt more like a sudden, massive acceleration to me." He argued.

"We should dial home immediately." Teal'c was frowning in concern and Jack nodded.

"Do it, Daniel."

Daniel dialled Earth and hit the centre activation crystal, but the DHD glyph lights went out and nothing happened at the Stargate.

"Daniel?"

"What? I dialled home just like I did a minute ago, just like I've done a million times before."

"Well, do it again." He ordered and Daniel tried again only to get the same result.

"Uh oh."

A door to the room began to open and SG-1 scrambled to take cover around the room. Six Jaffa marched in. Daniel spotted his night-vision goggles on the floor and glanced over at Harry who was closer to them. The Jaffa opened a crate and a large metallic sphere floated out of it over to the Stargate. Harry was flat on his stomach, one arm reaching for the goggles but he snatched his arm back as the Jaffa turned and marched out, leaving the sphere suspended inside the Stargate circle. They waited a few seconds before coming out of hiding, the door closed but the lights remained on.

"I always get a happy tingly feeling when I see those guys." Jack complained even as Harry picked up Daniel's goggles and tossed them to him.

"Teal'c, what is this?"

"It is a Goa'uld long-range visual communication device. Somewhat like your television, only much further advanced."

"Think it gets Showtime? Can you open that door?"

"Now that I know its location, I believe I can." Teal'c worked on it for a few seconds but the door opened. They moved into the corridor and the doors closed behind them. They hid from the Jaffa going the other way, then moved out down the corridor. They wandered for a while before Teal'c opened another door and they entered the room.

"A sarcophagus?" Harry asked and Daniel nodded. It was pure gold and as garish as the others he'd seen.

"Oh, great. More snakeheads. Teal'c, any idea which one's in here? Teal'c?"

Teal'c was looking at something; the rest join him. They stared out the large window only to see stars streaking by and Harry stared in awe. "We're not on a planet, are we?" he asked and Teal'c nodded.

"That is correct. It appears we are aboard a Goa'uld transport vessel."

"And that jolt was…" Sam looked to the Jaffa.

"Hyperlaunch."

"Teal'c, why didn't you tell us we were on a ship?"

"I was not sure. I have never been aboard a Goa'uld vessel such as this. Most accelerate very differently. Most do not contain Stargates." He explained even as the doors opened and a Jaffa entered, aiming a zat at Jack even as the others took cover, unseen.

"Tel-ko-nak!"

"Hey! How ya doin'? Uh, seen a bathroom around here?" The Colonel ducked as the Jaffa fired his zat; the shot hit the view screen and dispersed. Sam came out from hiding and zatted the Jaffa twice. Teal'c zatted him a third time, making his body disappear. "Okay, one shot hurts 'em, two shots kill 'em. The third shot…"

"Disintegrates him."

"Oh, great. You didn't feel this was worthy of mention, I take it."

Sam gestured at the screen. "The blast spread across this area like there was glass here. This is a force field of some sort."

"That is correct. There is no transparent material capable of withstanding this velocity."

"Or temporal displacement. We're traveling faster than light, right?"

"That is correct."

"So the ship must have been in orbit around a planet when we 'gated here. Then it—it launched or left orbit, which would explain why we can't 'gate home." Harry offered, that was not good.

"The point of origin isn't valid anymore." Daniel agreed, it made sense.

"Well, I suggest the three of you figure out how to get us back home." Jack gestured at the three scientists. He knew Sam and Daniel could handle themselves but Potter? He'd heard he'd help hold back some of the soldiers under Hathor's influence but holding a corridor was different to actual fighting.

"Sir, the only way to that would be to turn this thing around and go back to where we started."

"Right, I'll just go tell the pilot." Daniel offered.

"Teal'c, you know how to fly one of these things?"

"Of this I am unsure. It appears to be of a new technology."

"So, you couldn't turn this tub around, I take it."

"I am qualified only to pilot the Goa'uld death gliders. I suggest we relocate to another chamber as soon as possible. Royal sarcophagi are rarely left unattended for long." They left the room and made their way through the corridor. Jaffa approached so they quickly hid. The Jaffa passed by and SG-1 entered a new room; Jack watching the passing Jaffa through a hole in the wall.


"Holding up Doc?" Jack asked as he passed Potter a rations pack.

"I'm fine Colonel. We academics aren't that fragile." He smirked and Jack chuckled.

"Alright. Teal'c said you can shoot?"

"Yeah. Learnt years ago for safety. Digs tend to be in the more…interesting areas after all. A lot of us can shoot and fight."

"Huh."

"I can also use a sword, knives and staff. Classical upbringing. My side of the family might not carry the title anymore; doesn't mean we've ditched tradition."

"Title?"

"Yep, got a cousin who will be a Lord once of age."

"You get more and more interesting Doc."

"I'll take that as a compliment." He took a bite of his rations and grimaced but swallowed, he'd eaten worse. At least this was nutritious unlike the scraps his 'family' had sometimes fed him. He felt bad lying about his childhood but it was what fit the background he'd been giving and it was how he should have been raised. Learning it all after going back in time had been fun but exhausting and he'd had an unrelenting teacher.


"Jack? It's happening." Daniel whispered as they stared at the hangar full of death gliders being prepared for launch. He heard Harry swear softly in Latin behind him as they took in the hundreds of ships. "We're on an attack ship headed to Earth."

"Okay. Well, we've got some problems then."

"Teal'c, how fast can this ship go?"

"A Goa'uld ha'tak vessel can travel at ten times the speed of light."

"Okay, so if we are heading to Earth, then we have a long time."

"Based on what?" Harry asked as they pulled back, hands tight on their weapons.

"Based on the coordinates of the planet we gated to." She answered.

"We didn't gate to a planet, we gated to a ship." Jack argued softly as they reached an empty room.

"Yeah, but that ship had to have been in orbit around or on the surface of a planet in order for those 'gate coordinates to work. So, based on the location of those coordinates, even if we were traveling at ten times the speed of light, it would take at least a year to get to Earth, probably more."

"Mol jaffa. Tim lokeem rel roconnai." A voice echoed through the ship.

"They're being summoned to some sort of gathering." Daniel translated and they watched Jaffa pass in the corridor from a small hole in the wall. The Jaffa were moving the sarcophagus along the corridor.

"Okay, let's go."

"Wait a minute. Go where?"

"Wherever they're goin'." Jack answered as Teal'c opened door to corridor. They moved out cautiously, not wanting to be seen as they headed back to the Gateroom.

The sarcophagus was in this room now. Jaffa, female acolytes and priests were gathered around it. The large metallic sphere hanging inside the Stargate came to life, revealing a live image of Apophis.

"Chel hol, Jaffa. The end of a dark moment in Goa'uld history approaches. Soon we will wipe out the scourge that plagues us. I will re-join you as we come out of the shadows. Until then, you are to follow all orders of my son, as if they were my own."

SG-1 snuck into the room and hid among the crates, Harry whispering some concealing spells for extra safety. They watched as the sarcophagus opened.

"Bow down now. Show me your reverence for my son. The mighty warrior, Klorel!" Apophis commanded as Klorel stood up in the sarcophagus.

"Tel kol, Jaffa. Kel, Apophis. Re nek Klorel." The young man called, voice distorted like all Goa'uld.

"Re nek, Klorel." Apophis responded even as Jack stared in horrified anger and Skaara dressed as a Goa'uld, his eyes flashing gold.

Daniel grabbed his arm to keep him from doing something stupid as the room slowly emptied until the team was alone. Jack pulled free and began to pace.

"He called him his son. That's sick!"

"Not exactly a chip off the old block." Harry offered.

"The Goa'uld inside Skaara is probably the son of the one inside Apophis." Daniel grimaced, Skaara was his brother-in-law and seeing him like that hurt.

"Thank you, Daniel, that's encouraging."

"I'm just tryin' to help."

"O'Neill, what is our plan of attack?"

"We're going to split up. Carter, you, Daniel and Potter start plantin' C4 all over this ship."

"And what are you and Teal'c going to do?"

"We're going to try and grab Skaara."

"Sir, are you sure? It-it would be like trying to take Apophis."

"They do not know we are aboard. There would be little reason to keep him under heavy guard."

"Okay, but with respect, sir, I think you're making an emotional decision here."

"Maybe, but it's also the best strategic decision."

"Is it?" Harry knew it wasn't, it was like him rushing after Sirius due to the vision. "Shouldn't we wait to move till closer to Earth? And have an escape plan for after grabbing him?"

"Jack has a point. If we can capture him, maybe we can get through to the old Skaara. Kendra said that she could fight past her Goa'uld when it was still inside of her." Daniel offered in support of Jack.

"Let's go."

"Sir. Contingency plan." Sam tried.

"C-4."


The three of them ducked into the hanger and looked around, taking cover behind some crates. "All right. Those things have to be fuelled by something, and fuel is usually combustible, so…"

"So if we blow up one, we'll probably start a chain reaction."

"Right." She handed out the C-4. "Split up and stay out of sight, we'll tag three gliders as far apart as possible to make sure the reaction starts." Harry took his and slipped away, sticking to the shadows as he made his way across the hanger. He slipped the explosive onto the ship near the engines and set the timer like Sam had shown. He went to re-joining them only to swear and duck down as a group of Jaffa, probably the pilots approached. He glanced around and saw another door. He caught Sam's eye and shook his head when she went to raise her weapon. He indicated the door and she nodded so he moved towards it, managing to get into the hallway, but not one he recognised, brilliant.


"We need to go back for him."

"We don't know where that door led Daniel. We'll plant what we have and then look for him. He has more C-4; he'll find spots to plant his." She soothed as they entered the Gateroom again. She moved to the gate and attached the explosive to the back of it. "The naquadah in the 'gate will magnify the explosion."

Daniel stared at the metal sphere. "I'm just hopin' they can't see us through this thing."

The door to the room began to open. Sam and Daniel moved to hid behind the Stargate platform. Klorel entered, followed by Jack, Teal'c, and four Jaffa. Klorel knelt before the metal ball, and it came to life with Apophis' face.

"Shin'tel, Klorel."

"Father, I wish to present you with a great gift. The traitor, Teal'c. And, I present the human that recruited him."

"Hey Pops."

"Silence! Klorel, where did they come from?"

"I do not know. We found them after departure."

"How many more came with you?" Apophis demanded.

"Thousands. We brought a whole army."

"I assure you, Father, there could be no more."

"You have made me proud, my son."

"Do you wish that I keep them until our re-joining?"

"No. Teal'c must suffer the most painful death a Jaffa can know. Removal of his prim'ta. Let his new master watch him suffer and die."

"What about the human?"

"You may choose his method of death, but do it soon. It is almost time for remoc."

"Yes, Father."

"I look forward to seeing you at our destination. Lek tol." Apophis' image faded from the sphere. A priest, two female acolytes, and more Jaffa enter. The priest unsheathed a two-pronged knife.

"Skaara, don't let this happen. Don't let 'em do this." Jack pleaded even as Sam and Daniel silently readied their weapons, they couldn't let Teal'c die like that.

"Na-nay." Klorel commanded and the priest stopped. "Take them to the peltac." He ordered and the Jaffa escorted them out, followed by Klorel. Sam and Daniel stood up from where they were crouching behind the platform.

"Daniel, we're going to go after them."

"Wait a minute, when are we going to blow the ship?"

"We'll detonate only as a last resort."

"Listen, I wanna save them as much as you do, but if we get captured or killed, there is going to be nobody left to blow this ship before it gets to Earth."

"That's why I set a timer. If we don't deactivate it in 24 hours, it'll go automatically. Okay? Besides there's no sign they've caught Harry, he can detonate them if needed."

"Okay."


Harry ducked behind a pillar and waited until the footsteps faded. Activity had picked up a lot and he was worried for the rest of the team, had they been caught? He opened the door and peered inside before grinning, this was perfect. He slipped inside and moved between the rows of crystal loaded boards, it was obviously their version of a computer core for the ship. If this blew it should cause catastrophic damage. He planted the last of his charges and then hid at the back of the room as two Goa'uld entered, from their dress they were low ranked but still hosts. He could hear them arguing but it wasn't loud enough for him to make out so he shifted closer and then ended up on his butt as the same strange sensation went through the ship, they were slowing already? Unfortunately, he didn't land silently and the two Goa'uld spun around. He rolled to his feet and came up aiming his zat at them. The three of them remained still and silent, a Mexican standoff.

"You are of the Tau'ri." The woman stated and Harry nodded.

"What of it?"

"The traitor Teal'c and one of your people have been captured and taken to the peltac."

"Why did we slow down?"

"We have reached the Tau'ri." The male answered, he was the only one of the two armed, with a hand device.

"Why tell me?"

"You have us at a disadvantage." The woman answered calmly and they all knew it wasn't true. Harry cocked his head to one side, studying them.

"Thanks for the info." He lifted the zat and saw them grip hands. He fired once, hitting them both and they went down. "I suggest you get off this ship before something bad happens to it." He told the semi-conscious bodies before leaving the room. That had been very weird. Why had they told him anything and why had he warned them. No two people were alike, was it possible some symbiotes weren't as bad as others? He shook of the distracting thoughts and began making his way through the ship, looking for the peltac.


"Sir, I think we have another situation. We just spoke with Cairn deep-space radar, and they picked up two large blips passing Saturn. They're heading towards Earth." Sergeant Harriman explained.

"Any identification yet?" General Hammond demanded.

"Not yet, sir. NASA's just repositioning Hubble right now. Then we should be able to get a closer look."

"Guess Doctor Jackson is lucky."

"How so, sir?"

"He won't have to be around to watch his nightmare come true for a second time." He returned to his office and picked up the red phone. "This is Major General Hammond. Let me speak to the President."


Harry ducked out of sight and then peaked around the corner, seeing the crowd of Jaffa. Some were carrying the unmoving forms of SG-1 while others carried Skaara's bloody body towards the Gateroom and the Sarcophagus inside it. Looked like he was a little too late to the party but he ducked into the peltac as soon as it was empty. He stared out the window at the Earth spinning innocently beneath them and closed his eyes, focusing his magic. "Expecto Patronum." He breathed, mind fixed on the message he wanted to send. Prongs formed in front of him and then leapt through the view screen and towards the planet. Harry sagged against the controls and then frowned as his hand brushed something. He bent to look and grinned at the sight of the C-4 hidden there. This ship was nicely wired to blow but the second one he could now see needed to be dealt with as well.


"O'Neill?"

Jack's hand felt Teal'c's cheek. "Teal'c. Ahh! Teal'c. I can't see!"

"I am blinded as well. It will pass."

"What the hell was that?"

"A Goa'uld shock grenade. Though extremely painful, its effects are temporary."

"That's good to hear." Jack felt behind him, accidentally colliding with Sam's head. She bit him on the hand. "Ow—God—ow!"

"Colonel? Sorry, sir. It's just so dark."

"Carter, it's all right. I like your attitude."

"It isn't dark. We're blind. And we failed."

"All right, take it easy, Daniel. We've been in worse situations than this."

"Not to my knowledge."

"Thanks, Teal'c."

"Right now they're getting ready to wipe out the major cities of Earth. They'll do it from orbit, out of reach."

"Daniel…"

"Jack, I've already been through this once before. I've already seen this before."

"Daniel, will you relax? You've been through it before, and you survived. We're just having a bad day."

"Colonel, I think I'm starting to see something."

"My sight returns as well."

"Now, that's what I want to hear. Carter, if someone comes in here, you bite 'em in the hand!"

"Yes, sir!" The door whooshed open and they got ready to attack only to stare in shock at the dark haired young man.

"Need a hand?" Harry asked with a smirk and Jack shook his head.

"Let's move. Good work Doc."

"No problem. All the C-4's planted, even found their computers to blow."

"Very good work." They moved through the halls cautiously and Jack turned the corner to come face to face with a familiar Jaffa. "Bra'tac?" he asked in surprise before Bra'tac hit him and he collapsed.

"Fools! Hashak! You doom yourselves. It is all I can do to keep you alive. Do you know all I have done to regain the trust of Apophis and join this campaign? Hm? Hm?"

"Tek ma te, Bra'tac."

"Hello again, old friend. Your son grows strong. One day he will be a great warrior. But you should not have come."

"I stand by my friends. I believe this world may be our only hope in one day overcoming the false gods."

"Yes. As pathetic as that may seem at the moment, I agree."

"You do?"

"I may even have been able to save this world had you not interfered."

"Hey! What do you think we've been trying to do? It is our world you're talking about here."

"Enough, human! This is not the place to talk of these things. I have been ordered by Apophis himself to execute you—an order I intend to disregard. Come!" he turned and led them along with two other Jaffa through the ship. He glanced at the team and noticed Harry. "Your team grows larger."

"Master Bra'tac this is Doctor Harry Potter. He is a scholar like Doctor Jackson and a brave warrior." Teal'c introduced them and Harry bowed his head to the elderly Jaffa.

"It's an honour to meet you sir."

Bra'tac nodded and kept walking. They entered a room and he pointed at the black vest scattered around. "Here are your weapons. You will need them."

"Erm, Bra'tac, you mentioned something about saving the world. Care to elaborate on that?"

"By assaulting Klorel, you have made that impossible."

"Why?" Harry asked as the others gathered their things.

"Among the Goa'uld, a Pharaoh's power is more often challenged by their sons than by their enemies. Once we had joined battle with your world, I was prepared to lead my wing against Apophis, in Klorel's name."

"Apophis would assume your attack was ordered by Klorel and reciprocate. A daring plan!"

"I had hoped to drive a stake of mistrust between them. Now I fear they will bond against their common enemy."

"What bond? Klorel's dead." Jack snapped, still mad he'd been forced to kill one friend in order to save another.

"He will rise again."

"The Sarcophagus." Harry stated since he'd seen them carrying the boy that way.

"Wait a minute. You put him in that thing to bring him back?" Jack snarled at Bra'tac and Sam put a hand on his arm.

"I knew it would delay their attack until he arose. Perhaps when the warships of your world attack…"

"Um, excuse me, did you say "the ships of our world"?" Sam asked in surprise.

"Surely you have such vessels?"

"Well, we have a number of, of…" She stammered.

"Shuttles." Harry, Daniel and Jack said together.

"These shuttles—they are a formidable craft?"

"Oh yeah. Yeah. Bad day." Jack groaned.

"We accelerate. Klorel has risen." Teal'c said as they felt the ship shift.

"Then the campaign has begun. Once we launch, we will do what damage we can."

"How many in your wing?"

"Three."

"Three?!"

"Teal'c makes four."

"Oh well, four."

"I have trained these warriors since they were Chal'til. They have sworn their lives to me. It is no simple thing to ask." Bra'tac snapped back, getting angry over his attitude towards their upcoming sacrifice.

"And we appreciate it, believe me. But what are the odds of taking out a ship like this, with four gliders and ... maybe a shuttle?" Harry offered to calm things down.

"A Goa'uld attack vessel is heavily armed, shielded and capable of launching a legion of gliders against us. I would say slim."

"Okay, call me a pessimist, but I think it's time for a new plan."

"We offer to lay down our lives for your world, Human. You cannot ask more."

"No, I can't. But I think a better idea is to get the other guys to lay down their lives for their world first, hmm? How long before the C4 goes?"

"Forty-one minutes, sir."

"Okay, with any luck at all, this ship is going to blow within the hour. It might be a good idea for us to get to the other one. Can you do that?" Jack asked and Bra'tac nodded. They left the room and Harry dug through the tactical vest he was wearing.

"Colonel." He passed the detonator over and Jack took it.

"Okay so we can now detonate when we want which is good."

"Have you more of this 4C?" Bra'tac asked.

"It's called C4."

"The answer is no. We used it all to take out this ship."

"Well you guys must have something left."

"We shall have to cross that bridge when we come to it." The old Jaffa master stated and Harry bit back a laugh at hearing the saying from the stern man.

"You know, that particular cliché—doesn't always work." They ship suddenly lurched and they all grabbed the walls to remain standing.

"What was that?" Daniel demanded.

"Something impacted the shields." Teal'c answered calmly.

They rounded a corner and came across a patrol. Harry and Jack fired quickly, taking them all done. "Not bad. The peltac is two decks above. This way!" Bra'tac snapped. They came to another corner and paused to peer around it.

"Looks clear." Sam whispered.

"No. There are sentries in every corridor."

"Carter, how many grenades?"

"Two left."

"Grenades?"

"A crude explosive device." Teal'c answered his teacher.

"No! Observe—and learn." Bra'tac strolled along the corridor. When he reached two guards they saw who he was and let him pass. Bra'tac whipped round, felling both guards with his staff weapon. "Hmmm!"

"Not bad." Jack commented. They kept going until they reached the doors to the peltac. "All right, here's what we do."

"I will lead. You will follow."

"Right."

"You will know when it is time."

"Whoa! You're just going to walk in there alone?"

"I am Klorel's loyal servant." He tossed his cloak over one arm and straightened. Harry sent a shield charm his way to help.

"Bra'tac."

"My Lord Klorel" He bowed.

"Come. Witness the power of your god."

"I cannot."

"Why do you defy me?"

"Because you are not a god. You are a parasite within a child, and I despise you." Bra'tac answered without fear.

"Jaffa, Kree Tal! I am your god!" Klorel attacked Bra'tac with his hand device. "And you will feel my wrath!"

"I—die—free!" he gasped out.

"Let's go! Daniel, Potter, watch our backs." Jack ordered. Sam gave Harry her MP5 and he nodded at her, raising it and his pistol in the other hand. Daniel took the other direction to watch, his own weapons raised and ready. Jack, Sam and Teal'c rushed into the room, firing as they went. The ensuing firefight saw most of the Jaffa hit. Teal'c prevented Klorel killing Bra'tac by firing at him and making him move away.

"Jaffa, Tal Shak!"

Two Jaffa approached down the hall and Harry shot them both.

"Jack!" Daniel yelled as he saw more approaching his way. Jaffa marched around the corner and Daniel opened fire, hearing Harry do the same at his back. All of them went down but he missed one and the Jaffa fired, the blast taking Daniel in the leg. Daniel collapsed and harry spun, taking out the Jaffa that had hit his boss before dragging him further into cover. Jack came out and crouched at Daniel's side, angry and afraid for his wounded friend.

"Daniel! Oh, dammit!" the Colonel groaned as he saw the massive burn on Daniel's leg.

"I'll just slow you down. Just get out of here!"

"I am not leaving you here, Daniel." Jack argued.

"Get out of here! You're just going to blow up with the other ship anyway. What difference does it make? Go! Just go! I'll stay—and watch your back." Daniel argued and then hissed in pain as Harry wrapped the bandages from his first aide pack around his leg.

"I am not getting a new boss or a promotion Daniel so get up." Harry growled and Daniel blinked while Jack fought back a chuckle. Harry put his shoulder under Daniel's arm and Jack got his other side. They pulled him up and then moved into the room.

"Daniel!" Sam cried in alarm and he smiled slightly at her.

"Come." Bra'tac ordered. The team plus Bra'tac and Klorel left via the transport rings. The transport rings deposited them on the peltac of Apophis' ship. The Jaffa raised their staff weapons, but Apophis waved them down when he saw Klorel held hostage.

"Kree, Jaffa!"

"Come, come, come!" Bra'tac urged.

"If you fire upon us, I will kill Klorel!" Teal'c warned, one arm around the Goa'ulds throat.

"Bra'tac, how dare you betray me?"

"I have spent 133 years worshipping false gods—no more!" Bra'tac shot at the control panel and then left with the others, as Teal'c pushed Klorel into the room. Teal'c sealed the door by shooting it from the outside with his zat. They moved as quickly as they could with Daniel's injury.

"Colonel, the C4 on the other ship goes in six minutes."

"How do we blow this ship?"

"When we were on Klorel's vessel, I directed it closer to this one."

"If we disable the shield generator of this vessel, both will be destroyed in the explosion. Two birds with but one stone."

"This way." Bra'tac turned down a corridor. They walked what to Daniel felt like hundreds of miles until they ended up on a walkway. "The shield generators are far below. There, in the very bowels of the ship. We must climb down several decks, through the length of the ship. Then, taking our weapons, we must…"

Jack pulled the pins on two hand-grenades and dropped them into the shield generators, blowing them up. "Grenades."

"This vessel is no longer protected by an energy field."

"So that's it?" Harry asked, looking down into the fire.

"That is it."

"I think what the Doc is asking is, "What now?""

"Now we die."

"Well, that's a bad plan. Where are the glider bays from here?"


Harry and Sam lowered Daniel to the floor in an alcove close to the hanger doors. He was sweating and his skin was warm to the touch, shock taking its toll and infection setting in already. Sam rummaged through her pack until she found her medical kit, grabbing a needle she jammed it into Daniel's uninjured thigh, making him hiss in pain. "Sorry." She whispered. "Just stay with us Daniel."

"Not going anywhere." He muttered. She looked to Harry who nodded and crouched beside him, gun at the ready. She moved off to join the others.

"Carter, you and I will go in first. We'll take up positions to…" Bra'tac raised his hand to silence him. "Never mind."

"Observe!" Bra'tac carefully rolled a shock grenade into the glider bay. "Cover!" The ball exploded with a bright light and loud noise, disabling the Jaffa in the glider bay. "Now, that was a grenade! Come."

Jack slipped back to help Harry with Daniel and they made their way into the bay. "Problem." He commented, the gliders were only made for two.

"Come human, you will fly with me, Teal'c will take him." Bra'tac told Harry who nodded and handed Daniel to Teal'c who gently helped the injured man into one of the gliders. Harry hoped in with Bra'tac with Sam and Jack got in another. "Human, put this on." He threw an earpiece over his shoulder to Jack.

"Will you please stop calling me "Human"?" he muttered as he figured out how to power the engines.

"Our time is up. We've got to go." Harry called after checking his watch.

"Punch it." Sam called to the Colonel. The three gliders lifted off and flew from the bay out into space. Behind them Klorel's ship collided with Apophis's and both exploded, throwing the gliders clear.

"Bra'tac? Bra'tac? You okay?" Jack radioed

"Not bad, for an old man." He finally answered

"Teal'c?" Sam called.

"We are well too, Captain Carter."

"I don't think we bought ourselves much time. Our glider's had it." She pointed out.

"I concur."

"We got cooked pretty bad in the explosion."

"Captain?"

"We're low on power and in a fairly low orbit, so I don't imagine it will be too much longer before we burn up in Earth's atmosphere."

"Captain, take a look up."

Sam looked in awe up at the Earth. "It's beautiful." She whispered.

"Yes it is." Harry agreed, smiling sadly as he spotted Britain beneath them. It felt strange to see his homeland as just a mostly green shape far below.

"We saved it." Daniel managed a pained grin.

"Yes, we did." Jack agreed with him.

"It's going to be a beautiful sunset, sir."

"You know, Captain—this wasn't such a bad day after all."

"Not bad at all."

"We die well, Teal'c."

"More than that, old friend—we die free!"

Harry looked out the window and grinned. "Or not …" The Shuttle Endeavour came into view.

"Er Houston, this is Endeavour. We have them in sight. I repeat, we have them in sight."


Harry collapsed on his couch, utterly worn out. It wasn't surprising since he'd spent the last twenty-six hours in enemy territory, then almost a day in space as they figured out how to get them from the gliders to the shuttle and back down to earth. Of course the SGC insisted on full medicals and debriefings before they could go home which took another ten hours. So he planned to sleep for the next two days at least. The knock at the door ruined those plans and he dragged himself up to find a familiar man at his door so he let him in. "What can I do for you Agent Smith?" he flopped back on the couch.

"Nothing. Congratulations on saving the planet Doctor Potter. We received your Patronus and had our forces on alert, it is good we didn't need to use them. And thank you for dealing with the Senator as well. You should be proud of your actions."

"Too tired to feel proud."

The older man chuckled at that. "Then I will leave you to your rest. Good day." He let himself out and Harry dragged himself to shower before falling into bed. Hopefully nothing world threatening would happen for at least a few months.

TBC….

Next chapter we meet the Tok'ra, not that Harry hasn't met some even if he didn't know it.