JAFFA PLANET
The funeral pyre stood in the center of the circle of Jaffa, all present to pay final homage to one of their own. Drey'ac, fighter, warrior, Jaffa. The funeral pyre was the final act of respect given to a fallen comrade.
Teal'c walked toward the pyre, torch in hand. It was not just another warrior he was honoring. This was his wife, the mother of his son, the woman who had borne his absences and stayed by his side all those long years. This was the woman who believed as he did. This was the individual he had fought to give a good life free of the Goa'uld. He alone knew the sorrow in his heart, but he would bear that sorrow alone. A Jaffa did not show his grief, but instead mourned in solitude. His time with the Tau'ri had changed his outlook in grieving. At times, he had seen O'Neill grieve for his lost son. More than once, he had seen Daniel Jackson's anguish over the loss of his wife, a heartache brought about by Teal'c's actions. It was an unending emptiness.
Teal'c placed the torch into the pyre and began uttering the funerary words. "Shal mak. shal assah."
As the flames reached up to claim Drey'ac's body, Teal'c could see his son through the smoke. He was standing beside Brata'c, trying to retain a stoic visage but the tears came nonetheless. The moment their eyes met, Rya'c turned and left the crowd. Teal'c, knowing that Rya'c needed his father even if he was too proud to say so, tried to follow but was stopped by Brata'c.
"His mother has died. He needs time to mourn."
"He has grown to hate me," Teal'c concluded. What other explanation was there for Rya'c's hostility?
The elder Jaffa knew better. "He does not hate you, nor does he truly believe our cause is futile. Drey'ac would not allow such thoughts. She taught him to believe in the same freedom as his father."
"Then why does he speak as he does?"
"It is self-doubt. Since the day Apophis clouded his mind, he has believed it weak. He does not think himself worthy to be called a Jaffa if he is not strong enough to resist a false god."
"It is not true," Teal'c protested. "The Goa'uld have means of destroying the strongest minds. Rya'c was not at fault."
"No, my friend, but you were no different at his age. After the death of your father at the hands of Chronos, fear almost consumed you. Fear of failing to earn retribution for your father, fear of not being considered a Jaffa because your father was murdered. Like Rya'c, it was desire for vengeance that gave you strength."
"Rya'c misplaces his blame," Teal'c stated quietly.
"He directs his malice toward you because he believes you doubt him as much as he doubts himself."
Teal'c's eyes widened at Brata'c's comment. "Why would he believe such a thing?"
"Because you are his father, and you have not told him otherwise."
Together, both Jaffa turned back to watch the pyre burn. It was the moment of finality and closure that all funerals try to allow those left behind. In that moment, Teal'c knew what he must do to help his son, and silently promised Drey'ac that he would do whatever necessary to protect Rya'c.
NIGHTTIME
Nighttime was a time to rest, but the occasional restless soul would find their way into the darkness. Sitting by the Stargate, Rya'c had nothing but his thoughts to keep him company but was soon joined by his father.
For a short time, they remained quiet, each barely acknowledging the other, then Teal'c broke the silence.
"Not long ago, I was captured in battle, and Apophis took control of my mind. He made me believe that I was once again his First Prime, loyal only to him, believing him to be a god. I betrayed my friends who had trusted me with their lives. Regardless, once we escaped from Apophis, they returned me to Earth and contacted Brata'c. Were it not for the Rite of Malshoran, I would have died believing that Apophis was my god."
Rya'c was listening, but he didn't move. Not yet.
"I found it difficult to trust myself afterwards, but my friends did not. We had undergone such a test once before. Daniel Jackson had a similar experience three years ago. He was killed during an escape from a naquada mine. Our captors placed him in a sarcophagus to heal him, but what was not known to us at the time was the detrimental effects a sarcophagus can have on someone. It changed him, and Daniel Jackson is one of the strongest individuals I have had the honor to call friend. He mistrusted himself afterwards, but it was unwarranted. What happened to him was not his fault nor was he to blame for what resulted. He did not seek reassurances from us, but we gave it nonetheless. We still trusted him. After my ordeal with Apophis, my friends still trusted me because what happened was not my fault and I fought to regain control of myself."
Rya'c looked up at his father, seeing perhaps for the first time that his father wasn't a paragon of strength, that he had faults just as any other.
"Whether you believe in me or what I have chosen to do does not change the fact that I have never doubted your heart, Rya'c. You need never win back my trust, my son, for you have never lost it."
Rya'c couldn't resist any longer. He may have been a warrior in training, but there was still the boy that needed his father. He placed his arm around Teal'c who drew him in for a hug.
It was a beginning.
SGC CORRIDOR
Didn't someone somewhere say life was nothing more than controlled chaos?
Well, whoever it was had to have been assigned to the SGC because there had never been a truer word spoken. The news that the Stargate could explode didn't stay a secret, not with the base grapevine in good working order. The news that they were facing impending disaster didn't phase anyone either. It was a case of been there, done that for all of them.
Daniel was rushing back to the control room, a cup of tea in his hand, noticing as he did that his limp was almost gone. That was a very good sign. If he made a 100% recovery, he'd be back on SG-1…if there were an SG-1 to go back to. If they didn't stop the Stargate from exploding…
"Sir?" Lieutenant Simmons caught up with Daniel, his eyes betraying his concern. "Mind if I ask you something?"
"Uh, no. What is it?"
"Well, sir, you work more closely with Major Carter than I do, so maybe she's explained what she's doing to you."
"She's told me some of it." Daniel told him. "What are you curious about?"
"Why aren't we cutting all power to the Stargate? Wouldn't that help slow down the energy absorption?"
"Uh, no. It wouldn't do any good. Wormholes draw their energy from the initiating source. We could shut down the entire mountain, and we'd still have the same problem. Besides, we still have to monitor the gate through the feedback system, and if we shut down the power, we couldn't do that."
"Major Carter said that?"
"That's what she said."
"Oh," and Lieutenant Simmons went on his way. The young man still had a crush on Sam. Daniel could easily see that.
He entered the control room, and sure enough, the chaos was there, and Sam was in the middle of it. Daniel didn't say anything to distract them. He just placed the cup of tea in Sam's hand, accepted her smile as a thank you and stepped back to see what was going on.
Sergeant Siler and several other technicians were in the gate room setting up equipment. Daniel heard Siler's voice over the intercom say "No, we can't use the Russian Gate. You can't dial out if there's already a wormhole in this one."
"Sheesh, that sucks," the other technician said. "There's no way to force this one shut?"
"Not without destroying whatever's started it at the other end."
That didn't sound encouraging either.
Daniel's attention wandered back to Sam and the scientists working with her when a movement off to the side caught his attention. A new individual entered the room, an interesting addition to the mix of scientists already there. Daniel saw Jack in Hammond's office and motioned for him to look.
Jack's head peeked around the door, saw the new individual, grabbed Daniel's arm and pulled him into Hammond's office. "I think we should stay out of the line of fire," he whispered. "It's safer in here."
CONTROL ROOM
Sam had no idea what new threat was about to befall her. She remained focused on the monitors and numbers being generated by the computer.
"Energy build up has reached 18%," one of the scientists told her.
Sam thought again. There had to be a way. Muttering out loud, she said, "There has to be a way to drain the capacitors -"
"Still as sexy as ever, I see."
No. Not that voice. Not that person. Not here. Not now. Sam turned and saw her own thorn-in-her-backside McKay walk into the room.
"What are you doing here?" Truthfully, she didn't want to know. She had other things to worry about, not the sanctimonious know-it-allism of this so-called physicist.
"Well, there's no point in building naquada reactors for Russia if there isn't going to be a Russia, is there? There I was, minding my own business, watching the Russian version of Wheel Of Fortune when I got a first class ticket back on the classiest plane leaving Siberia. Basically, the Pentagon thought you might need some help."
"Not from you," Sam stated boldly. No, she really didn't need help from him. Where was Daniel? He could talk to McKay and keep him out of her hair for a while.
"Oh, Okay. No problem. If you don't need me, then I'll get a coffee and a doughnut and wait for the big bang. If you change your mind, I'll be in the commissary."
"That's just what I needed," Sam complained loudly as McKay disappeared from sight. That's when she noticed that they had been observed by Daniel and Jack from the general's office. Those two little so-and-sos…
The phone beside her rang, distracting her from thoughts of how she was going to get even with those two. She picked up the receiver and said, "Carter."
Then she listened. It was good news.
HAMMOND'S OFFICE
Hammond didn't like Colonel Chekov any more than Jack did. In fact, if the situation weren't so dire, he would have been happy to personally kick him out of the SGC. Instead, he kept his temper in check like a good little general and agreed to another of the Colonel's requests for a formal meeting. Hammond also told O'Neill that he might be needed in his office during the "discussion" and to herd Doctor Jackson in with them the moment he returned to the Control Room. Chekov may not like most of the personnel at the SGC, but Hammond was going to use the grudging respect the Russian colonel had for Doctor Jackson to its full advantage. Hammond believed that the respect stemmed from the fact that Chekov had received a phone call once, answered in Russian and was unaware that Daniel spoke the language fluently. It had been a private conversation concerning classified government reports, and Daniel had refused to repeat any of it. That alone had earned him a modicum of trust from the Russian attaché even if that attaché was interested in replacing the man he respected with a member of his own command. He even adopted a less abrasive tone when speaking to Daniel, and that was reason enough to have Doctor Jackson around at all times to help "diffuse" situations.
The fact that the colonel stormed into Hammond's office without knocking a few minutes after Jack pulled Daniel in there didn't win him any points with George either. In fact, the general stared at Chekov and waited for him to apologize, when he never did.
At the moment, Colonel Chekov was complaining about certain facts the SGC had no control over. "General, This situation is intolerable. My government is unable to use our Stargate at all. We have teams off world at this moment that must be able to return home."
"So do we, Colonel," the general said patiently. "In fact, I have seven teams off world at this moment, none of whom can contact us and may be stranded off world permanently if they can't find another way home. I understand your frustration, but we're facing a more major crisis at the moment than just having teams stranded on other planets."
"Why have you not shut down your gate manually?"
Hammond glanced at Daniel, a silent plea to help.
"Colonel," Daniel's voice said diplomatically, "we're trying everything we can to do just that. We've got a team of scientists working around the clock, but this is a unique situation, one neither of our scientists have encountered before. Right now, your lead scientists are in direct contact with ours trying to resolve the problem, and even Doctor McKay has offered his services."
"Doctor McKay is a very astute physicist," Chekov said, "but he is not under my command. He is merely a concession made to us as a means to use our DHD to regain your lost comrade."
"True," Daniel agreed, "but no one wants to see this planet destroyed under any circumstances regardless of whose command they're under."
Chekov nodded his head. "However, even this situation wouldn't be a problem if you had a working alien ship."
Jack had had enough. Jumping to his feet, favoring his bad knee as he did so, he remembered that he was in the general's office and needed to at least try to remain some air of civility. Courtesy. Respect for authority…aw, hell…"Hey! We didn't wreck it. The Goa'uld did. And we barely escaped with our lives. Thank you."
Chekov waved a dismissing hand.
"Any of my teams would not have lost control of the situation."
"No, they would have just taken one of their little poison pills."
Chekov turned back to the Hammond, ignoring the fight Jack was trying to pick. "General, what good is being a part of this so-called Protected Planets Treaty if you can't even reach any of our allies when we're being attacked?"
"Do you have any idea how expensive long distance is these days?" Jack piped in.
Before Hammond could say anything, Sam walked into the office, interrupting whatever was about to be said next. "Excuse me, sirs. I just got off the phone with Doctor Murphy at Area 51. He says he can have the X-302 ready to go in six hours."
"And this is important…. how?" Jack asked.
"Transgalactic flight, sir," Carter reminded him. "Since we can't dial out from here to contact the Asgard - "
"So you fly someplace where you can," Daniel finished for her.
"Exactly." Sam wasn't so engrossed in the problem at hand to realize that Daniel finished her sentence for her - how long had it been since he'd done that?
"Okay, whoa." Jack really didn't like where the conversation was going since he knew something was about to head straight for him. "I thought it was weeks away from a flight test."
"It was, sir," Sam explained, "but given the circumstances, I asked Doctor Murphy to put the X-302 on priority and have it flight-capable as soon as possible. Area 51 is aware of what's happening and every scientist there is focused on completing it. Even Jonas Quinn assisted with the final computations for the naquadria interface. In all honesty, sir, we've tried everything else we can think of that might have had some degree of success under normal circumstances. We're out of ideas. Our only chance may be to contact the Asgard."
"Actually, we were just discussing that," Daniel told her.
Sam suspected as much. "I'd like to volunteer, sir."
Hammond reached over to pick up the phone as Jack also volunteered. "I'll go too, sir."
"Are you sure you're physically capable to attempt such a mission, Colonel?"
"Yes, sir. Flying a ship is done from the seated position."
"I'll have a transport prepped. Be ready in 20 minutes."
"Yes, sir," both officers said. Just as they were about to leave, Jack leaned toward Daniel and asked, "Want to tag along?"
"You know, the last time I got on a plane with you, I had to parachute out. I think I'll pass this time."
JAFFA PLANET
The appearance of a cargo ship landing near their camp had long ceased to be a cause for any alarm. It was the look on the face of the disembarking Jaffa that caused the concern.
Shakrel, an old friend of Teal'c's rushed toward the waiting group. "Teal'c, it is good to see you."
Teal'c grasped his friend's forearm in the warrior handshake. "It has been too long, old friend. I trust you are well."
"I am. It is fortunate that you are here. I have brought word to Master Brata'c so that he might warn you if you were not on the First World."
"Warn me of what?"
Shakrel's expression didn't change. "The Tau'ri are under attack by Anubis. He has a new weapon and is attempting to destroy their Chappa'ai."
AREA 51 HANGAR
Back again. "Didn't we just leave here?" Jack asked himself as he followed Sam and Doctor Murphy toward the X-302. They were wearing uncomfortable flight suits, the kind that didn't fit well in the right places and were too loose in the wrong places and were too tight in places you never thought about. He really hated the things.
Doctor Murphy was flipping through papers as they walked. "Were you briefed on the way here?"
"Briefly," Jack said.
"You're target destination is Abydos since it's the closest planet to us in
the network. Oh, you do know that the computerized simulations for opening a hyperspace window were configured to outer-atmosphere jumps, right?"
Jack didn't know how to answer that one. Instead he just looked at his second-in-command. "Carter? Translation?"
"We have to leave the atmosphere to initiate the hyperspace jump, sir."
"We have to leave the ground first, right?"
Doctor Murphy gazed at his pride and joy. "It'll fly, Colonel. I'd bet my life on it."
"Really? Wanna come with us?"
"Uh, no, sir. I'm needed here."
"Of course you are," Jack answered.
"Anyway," Murphy continued, "once you emerge from hyperspace, you'll be traveling at an incredible rate of speed. You can't just stop. You'll have to slow down first."
"We'll be traveling at ludicrous speed?" Jack asked.
Murphy didn't catch the joke, but kept on talking. "If you slow down too fast, the g-forces could crush you, so go easy on the braking thrusters."
"Right," Jack said. "Slow down too fast, g-forces flatten us like pancakes. Don't slow down fast enough, and we crash into Abydos and …"
"Yes, sir, Colonel," Murphy said. "Flatter than a pancake."
"Thank you, Doctor. You're a comfort, you know that?"
"By the way, we've called the ship the Abydos One since that's your destination and the first planet we visited. Mr. Quinn wanted to call the Kelownan, but that idea didn't go over very well."
"I imagine not," Jack muttered as they watched Murphy walk away.
Jack climbed into the cockpit, favoring his bad leg as he did so. As Carter climbed into the seat behind him, she said, "You know, sir, even if we do manage to contact the Asgard, there's a chance they won't be able to help us."
Yep, the team pessimist was still working in perfect order. "What's your point, Carter?"
Sam thought for a moment, then answered, "I guess I don't have one, sir."
"Thank you."
