Author Notes: Thanks so much for your messages and feedback! I love reading your guesses too! Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 4

Daniel ran over what would be expected for the coming day in his mind. It should all be routine; nothing out of the ordinary had happened in quite a few months. Neith had been pleased with their progress.

Having nowhere else to go, she had taken them in, trained them – an activity they had all taken to with surprising ease and aptitude, as if they had all already had some prior training – and made them her personal guard. There were rules, of course. She would not accept anything below exemplary performance, and they had to wear their leather masks at all times when out of their rooms, so as to protect their identities in case their original captors came looking. She also expected silence from them all, only taking reports from Daniel. It was hard, but they were safe, and most importantly, together.

Daniel's eyes flicked to the group, and mentally sighed as Kera jerked awake, dislodging Beren's arm in the process. The lithe young man looked about in bleary confusion before realisation dawned as Kera frantically shook Jonas' shoulders.

Daniel unfolded his legs and got off the chair, falling to his knees in front of them, "Jonas. Jonas, wake up!"

Jonas shuddered awake, shaking, as he had almost every night for months now. A few weeks into their time with Neith, the younger man had begun having nightmares of increasing intensity, each one leaving him unsettled and nervous. He swallowed, trying to gather himself, "Thanks." The word was barely a whisper as he scrubbed his face with his hands.

The others were awake now, all looking at him with the same concern they did every night. Daniel regarded Jonas carefully, "Same dream?"

Jonas nodded softly, "Same woman, same eyes, same voice, same damn lights!" His voice remained quiet, but they could all hear the frustration and bitterness in his tone. Each time it was the same. He would be standing in a swirl of lights as a woman with dark hair and yellow eyes talked to him. Every so often, a little gem on her forehead would glint in the light, while misshapen shadows flittered about in the background. When she spoke, she did so with the voice of the one who had killed Drek. Each time he awoke he was left with an intense sense of wrongness.

Daniel knew that out of all of them, Jonas had never accepted their life, never liked or trusted Neith, despite all she had done. It was beginning to show – not enough for anyone else to notice, but they all did. It had a knock-on effect. Kera was permanently on edge, while Vala couldn't go two days without talking to Daniel about it. Soon Neith would notice, and they did not want that. Daniel had to hold back a wince as a particular nasty training session came to his mind.

"You do not slip like that!" The Jaffa had yelled.

"It was a mistake! I'm human, I'll make mistakes!" Beren had yelled back, only to be struck to the floor by a heavy gauntleted hand.

Jonas, who had been standing next to him, had reacted on instinct, punching the Jaffa in the face too quickly to be stopped. Daniel had grabbed him to prevent him from doing something really stupid.

Neith had not been pleased, coming nose to nose with Jonas, hissing in that same soft melodious voice, "You will not behave like that again, boy." Daniel had felt Jonas bristle at the term, and increased his hold to warn the man to stay silent, "You would be back in that cell rotting if it had not been for me. You will show respect, and take your punishment – all of you. Maybe you will learn then that I will not accept mistakes from my men."

They had returned to their rooms exhausted and bloody that evening, well after sunset. That had been that night the dreams had started.

A single bang on their door, and a tray of twelve roughly hewn wooden cups was shoved through the hatch at the bottom. It was forbidden for anyone but Neith and her First Prime Vorell to see their faces, and so their food was delivered anonymously.

Beren rose and went to pick up the tray, wrinkling his nose almost imperceptibly as he handed out the cups. Neith had told them when they first arrived that after living for so long on that nutrition ration, it would be bad for them to return to solid food – not that they remembered it anyway. The only addition to their diet had been water, after Neith had explained that their captors had very likely kept them hydrated by other means when they had been unconscious. They had accepted it at the time, too confused to really comprehend what was going on, and now it was just part of routine.

After Daily Meal, they began to get ready. The early morning sunrise was beginning to shine through the slats in the wooden shutters of their window, and they had to be in the throne room before Neith, their Queen and benefactor. Some even called her a Goddess, although none of them really had an opinion on the matter – all they knew was that they owed her their loyalty.

They washed, their spacious living complex allowing for them to do so quickly without getting in each other's way, and dressed. Their uniform was much simpler than the Jaffa's; light cotton underclothes, with heavier dark over-garments and a cloak. They had no need for armour, as Neith expected them to be too quick to need it, and it would have only hindered their movements anyway. Each wore a dark leather mask emblazoned with the same mark as the Jaffa – like Vorell's, Daniel's mark was gold, and his mask only covered the upper half of his face to allow for him to talk easier with their Queen. Heavy hoods covered the rest of their heads.

They left their rooms with Daniel in the lead, collecting their weapons from the Jaffa at the armoury which sat at the end of their corridor. Neith demanded that they all held both a ceremonial and practical weapon to act as a maximum deterrent for attack. All carried the zat'ni'katel weapon of the Jaffa, while each 'Type' – although they refused to think of that word anymore – carried their own weapon. Daniel and Renn held swords, Vala and Beren carried wooden staffs, while Jonas and Kera had crossbows. Although ceremonial, they were still just as deadly, if not more so, than the zats, and served to create just the impression that Neith desired. Daniel also insisted on the carrying of knives, hidden away, just in case. The Jaffa, Daniel knew, had thought the concept laughable at the beginning, especially Vorell, who held no love for the group. But Neith had insisted, and even the First Prome of the Jaffa would have to begrudgingly admit - not to the six of course - that the low-tech nature of their appearance worked well to his Goddess' advantage, and future plans.

All of this, combined with the rather intimidating image the six conjured, had earned them quite a reputation – not that they were aware of it of course. Neith took them with her wherever she went, to all the planets she controlled, all the prison worker villages for those criminals who could not be allowed to live anywhere else, making themselves useful by mining naquadah for her. She even said that some of those masked men her Jaffa had captured resided in some of these camps, although she never told them who. Daniel found the whole thing unsettling, seeing the men, women and children of these villages, bowing down to Neith. He tried to remind himself that his priority was his own family, and Neith was the only one who could keep them safe, but it didn't stop the nagging doubt.

It was this reputation that would cause today's events. They were on Neith's home planet of Sais, the one she used for her palace, and the one where they had their permanent quarters. When they approached the throne room, Daniel noticed with a horrified jerk that he could hear Neith already- she was awake almost two hours before her usual time!

When they entered, however, she was not angry that they had not been present when she arrived, instead, she smiled, catlike, "Good, you are here. Strangers have come uninvited through the Chappa'ai, wishing me ill intent. They are dangerous criminals, and heavily armed. You are to apprehend and bring them to me, alive if possible."

Vorell, who was standing nearby, clenched his fists, but otherwise did not react, "My Queen, do you think it wise? This is SG-1. My Jaffa-"

"Your Jaffa will back them up." Neith snapped, giving her First Prime such a look that it was surprising he didn't quail. She turned back to the group, "Do not fail me Daniel."

Daniel bowed swiftly, "My Queen." One last look at the odd gleam in her eyes, and he led the others out.

Jonas' mannerisms were strange, as if he was particularly unsettled, and Daniel hoped he would be okay to do this. All the same, even he had to admit how something about that exchange had made him feel decidedly...weird. He wondered what an SG-1 was.

He turned to the blank masked faces before him as they reached the edge of the palace compound. The Chappa'ai was, as planets went, not that far from the palace, and Daniel estimated they had approximately twenty minutes. He nodded to Vala and Beren, "Take point, scope them out, but do not engage, wait for us to join you."

The pair nodded once, and took off at a dead run. Daniel regarded Jonas for a second with an unspoken question. The man simply shrugged, and without any more orders, the four moved out, an act which only served to the unnerve the Jaffa who were preparing to be deployed after them; Neith personal bodyguards, unique among the System Lords, were steadily becoming the stuff of Jaffa legend, even though they had only been in her service for barely a year.

Vala crouched in the undergrowth, watching the strike team move with what they must have thought was stealth. There were nine in all. Seven were human, dressed in dark colours, each carrying a strange black weapon in front of them; six men, one woman. Another was a large black Jaffa. He moved with surety and true stealth. The last was an older man dressed in brown tan colours. He too moved with ease, and she bristled upon recognising him; Tok'ra, Neith's enemy and the troublemakers of the galaxy. Murderers and assassins.

She knew Beren was nearby, but it was not until she heard a purposeful crack, just out of sync with the intruders' footsteps that she knew the others must be too. Sure enough, she caught a glimpse of movement in the lower growth a little way behind the group; Jonas and Kera. She tensed, waiting for the signal.

Two zat charges took down the men at the back with deadly accuracy, and the group dropped to the ground. Vala would have grudgingly appreciated their skill and reaction time if she had been bothered. She leapt up, taking out another with her own zat, only to have it knocked from her grasp as the Jaffa tackled her to the ground. Her size, combined with a hefty blow with her staff to his head allowed her to roll away.

"It's them!" The Tok'ra yelled, "We need to fall back!" He was silenced by Renn's zat.

Their rattling weapons unnerved Vala. Unlike staff weapons, where you had slight warning, there was no chance in dodging these rounds, and she stifled a cry as a sharp pain exploded in her upper arm. She took the momentum and rolled, taking cover behind a tree. Thunk. Her attacker was taken down with a bolt from Kera's crossbow. The girl had clearly take offence on Vala's behalf, discarding her zat. Well, Neith had said alive if possible.

Six were down, but were unfortunately the remaining three, although disarmed, were still rather good at defending themselves without their strange black weapons. She risked a peek. Renn, Kera and Beren were under good cover, while Daniel was occupied with two men. Frantically, she tried to find Jonas, and mentally swore despite herself when she saw him. That was why Daniel was fighting so irrationally – he was the only one close enough to Jonas to be any good.

The Jaffa that Vala had knocked to the ground was on his feet again, and she saw how Jonas had recovered Beren's staff in an effort to stave off the much larger man's attacks. Damn. Jonas was the worst out of all of them at staff-fighting.

Daniel whirled, knocking down one of the men as the woman came at him, turning in time to see the grey-haired man who he had been originally staving off run away to help the Jaffa, knocking Jonas hard across the head from behind with the butt of his gun. The smaller man slumped to the ground, unmoving. At least the intruders seemed as interested in taking them alive as Daniel did them, although it was becoming increasingly difficult to restrain himself.

There was the sound of twenty staff weapons snapping open, "Ah, crap." The grey-haired man muttered, raising his hands above his head as the Jaffa threw his staff to the ground. The woman froze. The rest of the attack team had been neutralised.

Daniel threw his sword to the ground, half-forgetting protocol, and skidded to his knees in front of Jonas. He could feel the eyes of the grey-haired man burn into the back of his head just as he knew the others were re-grouping while the Jaffa held their position warily.

He found a pulse, but could do no more with the stupid mask Jonas was wearing. Screw the rules, he needed to know their brother was okay. He flicked his knife into his hand, and cut through the cord easily, not bothering with the clasp. As Jonas' face was revealed, Daniel completely missed the sharp intake of breath from the grey-haired man, and did not see the wild look he gave the Jaffa and the woman. A gash ran just beneath Jonas' hairline, flowing into a deepening bruise where the blow had partially impacted the mask. Eyelids flickered, and he opened his mouth to try and rouse the man, when a hand clenched down on his shoulder, wrenching him to his feet. It was Vorell, "You are out of line!" Immediately, Daniel's knife was at the Jaffa's throat, and a clicking indicated that a crossbow was now levelled at the First Prime. The Jaffa smirked, as if something he knew had been confirmed. He released Daniel, "Fine. Have it your way. She can deal with you. Jaffa, kree!"

The Jaffa moved forwards, dragging the ones Daniel's team had shot or knocked down to their feet as they began to come round; Kera's crossbow victim was left behind. Daniel turned, noticing now how the grey-haired man did not take his eyes off Jonas even as he was led away. Neither did the woman, or the Jaffa. Did they know? Could they have been involved in their first capture? Somehow affiliated with the masked men? Daniel's stomach clenched, but he shoved the feeling aside, quickly assessing the others. Vala was clasping her arm, but a nod told him she was okay. Kera and Beren had collected their weapons, while Renn was knelt next to Jonas, who was starting to regain consciousness. "Jonas?" Daniel murmured, "Do you think you can sit up for me?"

Jonas' eyes opened, but they were unfocused, and he seemed unsure of where they were, so much so that he even muttered the half question, "Where..?"

"Not now. Come on, I need you to stand up for me." With Renn and Daniel's help, Jonas was upright, but Daniel couldn't stop his eyes from lingering on the sluggishly bleeding head wound. They began the trek back to the palace, following just within sight of the Jaffa procession up ahead.

Daniel tried to just think of putting one step in front of the other, and not Neith's reaction when they returned.

To Be Continued...

Author Notes: So what did you think? I wrestled with myself for days on the subject of their weapons, but in the end decided that the point was to make them as different from the Jaffa as possible, so stuck with my original idea. Sorry if you find it a bit...well, I can't really think of the word which describes it, but I hope you get what I mean. So, SG-1 has arrived back in the story! Just so everyone's got an idea where we are, as I noticed one review seemed to be under the impression all the other chapters lasted around month, we'll say for simplicity purposes that chapter 1-3 spanned about ten months, while this chapter, including the time jump, ran for just over three months. So they've been gone a rather long time.

Finally (I'll shut up in a minute), in early Egyptian religion, Neith was a pre/early dynastic regional goddess of the town of Sais in the Delta, and was the goddess of warfare and hunting. Her typical representative symbol was two crossed arrows over a shield, so for the purpose of your imaginations, that's what the Jaffa symbol would most likely be. If Daniel and Jonas had not been kidnapped, no doubt they would have given that explanation to a very bored Jack :P

Anyway, I lalways enjoy reading any thoughts/comments you might have, so a minute of your time to get in touch would be loved!