Alpha Site | P3X-984
Milky Way Galaxy
February 10, 1998
The wind picked up as they made their way to the gate and Jack was glad he'd thought to put on his sunglasses as Makepeace cursed when sand got in his eyes. He couldn't wait until they'd finished building the base and the 'gate could be housed indoors, instead of outdoors with sand all around them. He had an intense dislike for sand, especially when it ended up in his clothes.
"You think this is the last load, O'Neill?"
He glanced over his shoulder at Makepeace and shrugged. "Depends on how much they got onto that FRED. I'll tell you one thing, Ferretti better get his ass out here soon because I'm not gonna make this trip again."
"I hear ya," Makepeace muttered. "This is grunt work. Why are we the ones doing it again?"
Jack raised his hands in a silent challenge. "You'd rather be back there, working your ass off for 'fun'?"
"Good point."
"Besides, I don't want Hammond on my ass if one of those green boys or girls breaks some super expensive and sensitive equipment."
"Yeah, yeah, point taken," he grunted, heading towards the DHD.
Jack moved over to the MALP standing nearby and checked his watch. The SGC would dial in soon and hopefully that would be the last shipment for now. He rolled his eyes when he saw Makepeace resting against the DHD and brushed some of the sand off his MP5 as they waited for the call.
It didn't take long for the gate to activate and both of them had their weapons at the ready, just in case. But then the radio crackled and Walter's face appeared on the MALP's monitor, reporting the arrival of two FREDS, three members of SG-3 and one Doctor Catherine Langford. The event horizon rippled before the first transport vehicle came through.
Casey followed right after, controlling the FRED remotely. "Sirs."
"Casey," Jack said, nodding and stepping aside to let the FRED pass by him.
"That CO of yours coming too?"
"Sure is, Colonel Makepeace. He's right behind Warren."
They waited until Warren with his FRED had arrived and Ferretti was supporting Catherine down the steps of the gate.
Jack smiled for the first time in days as he saw the joy on the woman's face. "Good to see you've made it, Catherine."
"Oh, you didn't think I would pass up the chance to travel through the stargate again, did you, Jack?"
"Ma'am," Makepeace greeted. "Is this the last of the equipment?"
Catherine nodded and grabbed onto Jack's arm, letting the other military men lead the way with the two FREDs upfront. "I'm afraid I'm not as fast as I once was."
Jack shrugged and patted her arm. "That's okay. We'll just let the kids go first. It's not that far to the science department, anyway."
He didn't mind walking a bit behind the group and keeping Catherine company. He'd spent far too much time with the Marines already and he knew Catherine was more at ease with him than the other teams. They made their way over to the temporary base that housed the science department and along the way, he handed her his cap to shield her face from the sand as best as possible.
Catherine was slightly out of breath by the time they reached the base and gratefully sat down on one of the crates stored outside. SG-2 had already started unloading the FREDs and were carrying equipment inside. "Isn't it amazing to see? I mean, it looks just like Earth!"
"Yeah, that seems to always be the case," Jack said, chuckling. "I would have thought you'd be all over the pictures Daniel and the other teams make while off-world, Catherine."
"Oh, I am. Trust me. But it's different to actually be here."
He supposed that was true. Somewhere along the way it had become routine for him to travel to other planets and he'd gotten so used to alien worlds not looking, well, alien, that he'd almost forgotten the sense of wonder those new to gate travel experienced. Lately, he'd been too busy dwelling on the bad stuff to really notice anything positive, he thought.
"Doctor Langford?" Lou Ferretti came over, carrying a canteen and a wrapped sandwich. "I got you something to eat, Ma'am."
"Oh, how kind of you, Major."
Jack smirked when Lou actually blushed as he handed over the lunch. "Nothing for me, Ferretti? Aw, I'm hurt."
Ferretti glared at him. "Sorry, Colonel. Too busy unpacking boxes for the science department. You're welcome to help, of course. We could get lunch after."
"Nice try."
"I'll just get back to work, if you don't mind."
Jack stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Hey, Lou? Did you guys hear anything about Skaara or Carter on your mission to P2A-509?"
"No," Ferretti said, shaking his head. "We didn't manage to track down Moac either. Mission was a bust, Colonel."
"Damn."
Catherine waited until Lou had left before she spoke. "Samantha is strong, Jack. If anyone can survive becoming a host, it's her. She's just too damn stubborn to give in. And if Skaara is anything like you and Daniel have told me, I'm sure he's still fighting Klorel too."
"Unless they're dead," he huffed.
"I prefer to think Sam is still out there and will find a way to return to us."
He ran a hand through sandy hair and kicked at the ground, wondering if that was possible. If Catherine was right, then there was still a chance for Sam. Until he heard otherwise, he was going to assume Apophis and Klorel – and Herit, too – had escaped the exploding motherships. Maybe if Daniel hadn't found his way back home he would have felt differently, but if the Space Monkey could do it while injured and in unfamiliar circumstances, he found it hard to believe the Goa'uld didn't have an escape plan. But what if Sam, in some miraculous way, did come back as herself? Assuming she remembered him, what would she think of him abandoning her on that ship without a second thought?
"Hey Jack," Makepeace shouted from a few meters away, interrupting his thoughts, "you gonna join us?"
"What is going on over there?" Catherine turned around to look at where the Marine was standing next to the SGC's CMO, Doctor Janet Fraiser.
Jack plastered a smile on his face and gently reached for Catherine's elbow to guide her over there. A few minutes later they joined Makepeace, Fraiser and Teal'c. "Oh, just a little friendly competition."
"Friendly," Makepeace snorted. "My guys are kicking the new teams' asses."
"Teal'c and Janet decided it was time for the ultimate test," Jack explained to Catherine, gesturing at where a couple of the newest SG team members were competing on a makeshift obstacle course.
"I believe it was you and Colonel Makepeace who suggested it, O'Neill."
Jack glared at Teal'c, before turning back to Catherine. "SGs-10, -11 and -12 have been accompanying our teams the past couple of weeks and soon they'll have to go out on their own. This way, we can see if they have what it takes."
"They're competing against my guys," Makepeace cut in, gesturing to where two of his team were in the lead.
"And Lieutenants Kershaw and Coburn," Teal'c said.
Makepeace shrugged, grinning. "Ah, they don't stand a chance against my guys, so they don't really count."
Jack felt his hackles rise against the Marine's comment and beckoned Lou over. "Hey Ferretti! Makepeace here thinks his team is better than ours."
"I respectfully disagree, Colonel," Ferretti said after jogging over. "Coburn is the best 2IC out there."
"After Kershaw," Jack corrected with a smirk.
Teal'c moved to stand in front of them, a silent challenge in his eyes. "I believe a wager is in order to defend the honor of your Lieutenants."
"Oh, I'm in," Makepeace said, fumbling in his pockets. "Shit. Um, I'm betting twenty bucks on Johnson. Losers pay the winner when we get back to the SGC."
"You sure you want to bet against Kershaw?"
Lou chuckled and exchanged glances with Jack, before turning back to the Marine. "Yeah, we heard you two are seeing each other. I don't think she'd appreciate you betting against her. Sir."
Makepeace looked away and cleared his throat. "I don't know what you're talking about, Ferretti. Now, are you in or don't you think Coburn can win from my guy?"
"Oh, I'm in. Fifty bucks says Coburn is gonna kick everyone's ass."
Janet leaned in to Catherine, rolling her eyes. "Next thing you know, they'll be whipping 'em out to see who's got the biggest-"
"Fraiser!"
She simply grinned smugly at Jack and shrugged. "What? It's not like I haven't seen it all already, Sirs."
Catherine chuckled and sent them an admonishing look. "And what's your stake in this, Doctor Fraiser?"
"Oh, see those poor airmen lying over there? They're the unfortunate victims of a Goa'uld attack and the teams have to save them to pass their medical field training."
"It seems a bit unfair to have three whole teams competing against three solitary members of different teams."
"Nah," Jack said, "Kershaw, Coburn and Johnson are far more experienced. They're also more likely to end up split up from their teammates if we go on recon missions, since SGs -10, -11 and -12 are backup teams."
"Johnson's the best."
Jack rolled his eyes at Makepeace. "Kershaw is gaining on him and unlike your guy, she's not arrogant but eager to prove herself. She'll easily beat them. Besides, she did help save the world a couple of weeks ago."
Ferretti got comfortable on a fallen tree trunk and smiled up at them. "I don't suppose anyone smuggled some beer off-world?"
Kresh'taa Camp
Apophis' domain
Milky Way Galaxy
The camp looked primitive and the people – Jaffa – living there suspicious, dirty and unhealthy. Bra'tac had warned Sam of the living conditions but it wasn't like they had a choice. Their own temporary camps weren't much better, but at least there weren't any prying eyes and she knew she could trust Bra'tac implicitly. Looking down, she righted her cloak over her robe and hoped it would hide her pregnant belly well enough.
Bra'tac was leading the way and the Jaffa easily stepped aside for him, probably recognizing his importance from his golden tattoo. So far, no one had given any indication that they knew the First Prime had defected, but they were both on their guards. She kept her gaze low and her blonde hair was enshrouded by the cloth Bra'tac had given her weeks ago. A temporary tattoo had been painted on her forehead. One wrong move and she would draw all kinds of attention with her unusual hair, eye and skin color, according to Bra'tac. Considering how fascinated Klorel and apparently his host had been with her appearance, she didn't doubt it.
They had to come here, though. Bra'tac hadn't been able to get all the appropriate tools she might need on Cimmeria and if she recalled it correctly, SG-1 had closed off the cave so they couldn't leave to get extra tools once they had arrived. A lack of currency made obtaining them even more difficult and Bra'tac had been forced to get something inferior. Sam had gladly handed the merchant one of Herit's golden bracelets in return for better equipment and Bra'tac had even gotten some extra things for them.
Bra'tac moved to the outer edge of the camp of outcasts and waited for her to catch up. It was almost as if he was lurking about and she raised her brows in silent question.
"Not now, woman," he said, waving her off.
Sam narrowed her eyes at him but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt; that seemed the way the men here spoke to or about the women. "We have everything we need," she whispered. All the Jaffa watching them – even if there weren't many eyes in this corner – unnerved her and she wanted to leave, get to the safety of their own camp.
"Not yet."
She followed him when he pushed some branches away and revealed a hidden path that led to a sturdier-looking hut. "Have you been here before?"
"Indeed."
When she wanted to ask more, he hushed her and cautiously made his way over to the hut. He had his weapon at the ready but gestured for her to stay in place before he ducked inside. She didn't have to wait long until he came back out with another woman. She was dark skinned, had long black hair and a serpent tattoo on her forehead – and from the strange tingly feeling Sam sensed as she got closer, she was Jaffa.
Bra'tac and the woman spoke in hushed tones, in the Jaffa dialect, with both of them shooting glances at Sam on occasion. She had no idea what he was telling her, but it was pissing her off. "Bra'tac…"
"Sām this is Drey'auc. She will help you."
Sam automatically took a step back when they came closer and she had to resist the urge to place a hand on her abdomen, for fear of revealing her pregnancy to the female Jaffa. "Help me… with what?"
Bra'tac narrowed his eyes and gestured at her head, as if it was obvious. "Your hair."
"What about my hair?" She asked, confused. "I thought you said I couldn't cut it." They'd actually argued about that a few weeks ago, because her hair was driving her nuts. It reached well below her shoulders now and it hadn't been that length in well over a decade. The comb she had wasn't perfect and she often had knots and tangles in her greasy locks.
"You cannot."
Apparently short hair was unheard of on women, unless they were kresh'taa or otherwise shamed. Cutting her hair, even to just below her ears would attract the wrong kind of attention as women traditionally had long hair.
"Then…?"
The woman smiled gently and took a small step forward. She seemed friendly enough. "Master Bra'tac has asked me to tint your hair."
Sam's hand immediately went up to her hair, but encountered cloth. "Tint, as in dye? I don't know…"
They had discussed this as well. She had told Bra'tac she didn't want to risk her baby's health by dying her hair with some unknown dye. Back when her sister-in-law had been pregnant the first time, her OBGYN had told her she couldn't dye her hair because the chemicals could be absorbed into her skin and reach the baby via the bloodstream. Sam personally thought that was a bit farfetched at the time but now that she was actually pregnant, she found she didn't want to take any more risk than she had to.
"It is easier than hiding it," Bra'tac reminded her.
"I have a natural extract," Drey'auc said, opening a small pouch and letting some greenish brown powder fall into the palm of her hand. "It will not harm you."
Against her better judgment, Sam found herself agreeing. She followed Drey'auc's instructions and sat down on a tree trunk, while the Jaffa put a kettle of water over the fire to mix the powder.
"I will return shortly," Bra'tac said.
"Wait!"
"Do not worry, Sām. Drey'auc can be trusted and will not harm you," he said, pointedly looking at her left wrist.
The hand device was hidden under her robes. Sam hadn't slipped the finger guards on but instead had tied the part that covered her palm to her wrist, to hide the fact she was wearing it. The personal force field would still work that way, even if the offensive powers wouldn't. "When will you be back?"
"I will hunt for our evening meal and return before sundown."
"It is not necessary, Master Bra'tac," Drey'auc said, looking down.
He raised a brow and 'hm'ed'. "You both require a proper meal."
With that, he turned on his heel and left. Leaving Sam with Drey'auc, a stranger she had only met five minutes ago. Had Bra'tac told her about the baby?
"Tinting your hair will not take long," Drey'auc said with a sweet smile. "We can make pes before he returns. It goes well with the pefs't."
Sam muttered something noncommittally and waited until the woman returned with the hair dye. On one hand, she wasn't in the mood to sit still for a long time while someone else was futzing with her hair but on the other hand, she hoped it would take long enough so there wouldn't be any time to make pes. Whatever that was. She was a terrible cook. Then again, Bra'tac was aware of her lousy cooking skills – and had bemoaned them since teaching her to forage and hunt – so perhaps his offer to hunt was to repay Drey'auc for her help.
Drey'auc gasped when she removed the cloth and carefully reached out to touch the long blonde locks that fell down her shoulders. She stepped in front of Sam and tilted her chin up with her finger, as if appraising her. "Your name was chosen well, Sām. I understand now why Master Bra'tac brought you here."
"That makes one of us," she muttered under her breath stepped aside to Drey'auc reach for the dye.
Sam sat patiently as Drey'auc went about dyeing her hair, even though she was bored out of her mind. Making conversation wasn't an option, because the Jaffa woman had already asked a couple of too personal questions and Sam had shot her down. She was getting hungry and with the baby moving around more, the pressure on her bladder increased.
"How much longer?"
"It will be finished when I am done," Drey'auc replied unhelpfully. "Are you not comfortable?"
She explained that she needed a latrine break and was grateful when she simply pointed her in the right direction. By the time Sam returned, she noticed the sun was low in the sky. It was almost evening, no wonder she was hungry.
"Please sit, Sām."
She estimated it took another half hour and two dozen pulled out hairs until Drey'auc was finally done. The dye pricked her eyes when she rinsed her hair but it was a minor and temporary discomfort. Drey'auc used a cloth to remove any dark stains on her skin, before using Sam's comb to untangle her now brown locks.
Drey'auch returned the comb to her with one last look, "This is an exquisite comb."
"Bra'tac got it for me," Sam lied, wondering if that was the right thing to say when the woman's eyebrows rose up in surprise. She had never paid the comb much attention, especially not after deducing it was most likely part of a small rodent's carcass, but it was Herit's, so perhaps the thing was valuable. Maybe she could trade it for a cheaper comb once she'd run out of jewelry to trade…
"Master Bra'tac cares for you a great deal."
"Um, sure," she said hesitantly, "I guess."
"I have not seen him this protective of someone since my husband."
For some reason, Sam had trouble picturing Bra'tac as a protector but she had to admit he had done – and risked – a lot for her. Hell, he'd renounced his gods. Not necessarily for her, but it was her defeat of Herit that made him decide the time was right. "He seems to care a lot about you, too."
Drey'auc smiled sadly, shaking her head. "He sees it as his duty to protect me and my son now that my husband is gone."
"I'm sorry to hear that. It's got to be tough being on your own with a child, in these living conditions."
"It is not easy. My son struggles with the way we live now that his father is gone. He received his prim'ta not too long ago and living among the kresh'taa takes its toll. His father was supposed to teach him how to live in symbiosis with his prim'ta and now his health suffers. My son is once more asleep in our hut."
Sam had barely finished her sentence before realizing the same applied to her. Once her child was born, she would be in a similar situation as Drey'auc. But she still had a home to go to… once she figured out how to get in touch with the SGC and convince them she was not a traitor nor a Goa'uld.
No small task, but Sam had always been ambitious.
Drey'auc taught her how to make pes, which was some sort of bread. Or maybe cake. Sam wasn't sure but it was edible and not too difficult to make. Her fingers were cramping from all the kneading, though. Drey'auc had let her do the majority of it, claiming it would be easier for Sam with her long fingers.
By the time the pes was finished and Sam was nibbling on a piece, Bra'tac returned with something that might have been a hare's cousin before he got to it. Drey'auc made quick work of the meat and soon they were all eating roast with pes and drinking herbal tea.
"We must leave," Bra'tac said all of a sudden. "The cover of darkness will make it easier to travel undetected."
"Very well. Be safe," Drey'auc said, leaning up to hug the old Jaffa.
Sam waited until they'd said their goodbyes. "Um, thanks for the food and the, uh, hair."
"The tinting shall remain for one lunar cycle or longer."
"I will keep that in mind," she said.
"Take good care of Rya'c, hm," Bra'tac said. "He needs more food to remain strong. I will arrange for someone to help you, but it will take time."
Drey'auc smiled and hugged him again. "We will wait. Be careful. You too, Sām."
They said their goodbyes before Bra'tac took point and took a different route to the stargate. It was dark and in times like these, Sam wished she still had her flashlight. That would have made traveling so much easier. Of course, she longed for many things, like going back in time and never letting Grieves betray her. That bastard.
She was so caught up in her thoughts that it barely registered with her when Bra'tac urged her into the wormhole. Traveling by stargate had long ago lost its novelty and sometimes, she couldn't even remember actually going through the gate or what the last planet they'd been on was. It was confusing and tiring.
She recognized the planet they'd just traveled too, though. The one where they'd left their things in their makeshift camp. The planet itself wasn't abandoned although, according to Bra'tac, the continent on which the stargate was housed was. There was some small game he'd been teaching her to catch and prepare, as well as some fruit trees. Not a lot of shelter, though, she recalled as it started to rain. Annoyed, she wiped away the rivulets of water streaming down her face and was startled to see her fingers come back dark brown.
"Uh, Bra'tac? Please tell me this brown goo isn't coming from my hair."
His lips twitched when he looked at her, before he schooled his features and reached out a hand to touch her hair. "It appears the rain is washing the tinting from your hair."
"You've got to be kidding me," she said though gritted teeth. "I had to sit for half a day to get it done!"
"Perhaps if we move quickly we can avoid the rain removing all traces of it."
Sam wasn't sure if she liked the sound of that any better, but she did want to get out of the rain. The dye was dripping down her face and it pricked her eyes. Squinting, she rubbed some of it out of her eye as she followed Bra'tac. But she'd forgotten about the small stream they had to cross to get to their camp and slipped on a slippery stone.
"Argh!"
"Sām!" Bra'tac grabbed her by the arm before she landed in the water and hauled her up in his arms. It was an awkward embrace due to her belly but he managed to hold her anyway. "Are you injured?"
She grimaced as she moved her foot. "I think I twisted my ankle."
"Can you walk?"
"I'll try," she said, letting him support her as they crossed over the stream. "Ow. It hurts."
Bra'tac looked at her skeptically. "You withstood more torture under the hands of the Goa'uld than I thought possible, yet you cry over a misstep?"
Sam glared at him and tried to put her weight on her injured foot. "You try walking on a twisted ankle while this pregnant!"
"Perhaps you can use the healing device on your foot for practice so that we may return to our camp before sunrise."
"Uh, I suppose I could try," she said slowly. The Goa'uld device was hanging on her belt as usual, but she was strangely reluctant to try. What if it didn't work? Could she make the injury worse if she didn't know what she was doing? "I have no idea how to use it, though."
"You have never attempted it?"
"No. I wasn't even sure what it was capable of until you told me. I don't think Herit knows how to use it either. I mean, she's young and I'm her first host."
"Ah, but she has the knowledge of those who came before her. Apophis and the Queen mother who birthed her will have passed on their knowledge and that of those who came before them. She knows. But perhaps it is best not to search her mind, as it might alert her from her deep sleep."
Sam's eyes widened in shock; she hadn't thought of that! The longer she was away from the ship, the more she feared Herit would wake up and retaliate, but maybe the increased awareness of her – and the nightmares that had become more frequent as of late – were a sign that Herit would indeed wake up soon. She bit her lip and took another step with her injured ankle. "We better get moving then. The sooner we're ready, the sooner we can go to Cimmeria."