My thanks once again to all those who favored either me, or my stories.

Stargate: SVU 4

Chapter Seven

When Sam got her first look at the Temple Of The Dove, which had been reduced to nothing more than a pile of rocky ruins, she let out a dismal sigh and said, "Drat…."

The Ori pilot had been transported back through the gate to the SGC. The Marines of SG-3 now guarded their flank; they prevented any unwelcome guests from coming through the gate by keeping it open. Whenever the gate shut down after 38 minutes, Colonel Lyman ordered his Marines to immediately reopen it.

This left SG-1 free to examine what was left of the Temple Of The Dove…which wasn't much, as it turned out.

Sam held up her scanner, trying to see if there were any energy readings coming from the structure…but her reading showed absolutely nothing. The place was completely wasted.

Seeing this, Cam turned to Sam said, "I read in one of your previous reports, back when you found a floating head in this temple…."

"The Mumani Temple," Sam said with a nod.

"Yeah, right. You managed to collect these holographic files from inside the head. We could still do that here, right?"

"Yeah, we could," Daniel said. "If we could get inside the damn place."

"And that's assuming this place even had a floating head," Olivia added.

"Vala, did this temple have some sort of interactive information system?" Sam asked.

The raven-haired woman just shrugged. "Don't know. Never was here until now."
"But you knew where it was," Cam said, annoyed. "You mean to tell me you never even visited this place?"

"No, Qetesh knew where it was," Vala corrected him, with an annoyed tone of her own. "And as to why she never visited the place…well, why don't we ask her, shall we? Oh, wait…that snake is dead, isn't she?"

Teal'c and Satterfield came up to Sam. "There is no possible way through the rubble, Colonel Carter," he said. "We searched all around the perimeter."

"The temple's basically been flattened," Satterfield reported. "The only way to get to anything would be to raise some pretty heavy pieces of rubble…."

"Which isn't possible for us," Cam flatly interjected. "Not without some major equipment, which we don't have available."

"…and then, what we'd need inside the temple would most likely be crushed to smithereens, anyway," Satterfield finished.

"In other words, it's a washout," Cam dejectedly muttered.

"If only we were just a little bit earlier," Sam said with a shake of her head.

"We'd probably would have been crushed under the rubble," Olivia told her. When Sam gave her an aggravated look, Olivia added, "What, with the way our luck's been running lately, you'd expect anything different?"

"Lyman to Carter," the Marine commander called over the radio. "Come in, over."

Sam keyed her radio. "Carter, here, Bobby. What's up? Over."

"General O'Neill wants us back at the SGC. Specifically, he wants SG-1 back home on the double. Over."

"We're coming back to the gate now, Bobby. Over and out."

Daniel just let out a weary sigh as they all began walking back to the gate. "Now what?" he asked.

They met up with the Marines, and Hailey, at the stargate. Hailey had been busy taking detailed pictures of the downed Ori fighter while the rest of SG-1 had moved on to the temple. "The fighter is a very simple design, Colonel Carter," she reported. "Powered by a chemical rocket, and not really built for comfort; frankly, I'm surprised the pilot survived the crash."

"Compared to the 302, how advanced is it?" Cam asked her, as they all proceeded to enter the glimmering event horizon.

Hailey shook her head. "Not much. The 302 is far more sophisticated, whereas the Ori fighter is very basic; it sort of reminds me of the old Soviet-era MIGs from back in the fifties and sixties. Big, clunky, but gets the job done."

"Nothing fancy," Sam said, as she nodded in understanding. "Just a dependable fighter."

Several moments later, they all strode down the ramp in the gate room. Jack stood before them at the base of the ramp. His arms were folded in front of him and he looked very grim. "Sam, and the rest of SG-1, come with me," he said. Jack then paused when he saw the Marines coming up from behind them. "Bobby, you and Lt. Emmaus should see this, as well."

'See what?' Sam wondered, as she followed Jack into the control room.

Wray was also there, and once everyone had gathered, all facing the front console, Jack pointed at the screens and said, "We just received a message from Casey Novak."

Olivia's face brightened. "Casey? Is she all right?"

"Honestly, Liv, we really don't know," Jack said bluntly. "Here's the message."

Sam and the others watched the screen as an uneasy Casey appeared. Clad in just a bikini, with her auburn hair brushed snug against her head, she sat nervously in a chair, glancing over at her right for a moment. Then, a woman's voice said, "You may proceed."

"To my friends at Stargate Command," Casey said, sounding very stiff and formal. "I have an offer to tell you about. Her Lord Empress Neith wishes to meet with the leaders of the SGC to discuss an alliance between the people of Earth and the Netian Empire. This is no trick, nor is it a ploy. I do hope you consider this offer, as there are many lives on the line."

Once she was finished, Casey glanced back over at her right, almost as if seeking praise. The image broadened, and Sam was stunned to see Neith herself was seated next to Casey. The outfit that Neith wore was even more scant than Casey's bikini.

Neith leaned forward and said, "There is a dire threat that we all face. A powerful and unknown foe has risen. Only together, by marshalling our forces, can we hope to make this galaxy safe for us all."

"Is she kidding?" Hailey blurted out. "She's been the one responsible for most of the deaths in the galaxy so far!"

Sam quickly hushed her so they could hear the rest of the message.

"You may respond by sending a message through this gate address." Neith said. A series of gate symbols appeared on the screen beneath her. "Both Casey and I do hope that you decide to unite with us against this threat."

"What threat is she talking about?" Sam asked, once the message was over.

Jack shook his head. "Don't know. There's some talk that she might mean the Ori, but we can't be sure. Liv, you know Casey better and longer than anybody here. What do you make of that?"

"Casey looked very uncomfortable," she commented. "But she was telling the truth, Jack. If nothing else, Casey believes in what they're saying."
"Did Neith capture her?" Daniel asked. "Or did the Hak'tyl ally themselves with Neith?"

"Another good question," Wray said solemnly. "As you know, we can't contact the Hak'tyl, because we don't know where they are at any given time. They can only contact us. And so far, we haven't heard a word from Io'tan."

"The fact that Casey's wearing a bikini tells me she may have been abducted," Olivia interjected.

"You mean Casey wore that bikini when she was captured by Neith." Sam gazed at Olivia thoughtfully. "So you think this may be a trap, with Casey being used by Neith as the bait?"

Olivia shrugged. "Maybe, Sam."

"Or maybe Neith captured Casey in the hopes of convincing her there was a real, legitimate need for an alliance between us and the Netian Empire," Daniel posited.

"That's just it," Olivia said to Jack. "It's like I told you before, from what I've seen, Casey firmly believes in what they're saying. But I can't really speak as to what Neith's ulterior motives are."

Sam glanced at Jack. "Are we answering, sir?"

"Oh, of course, Carter! I wouldn't miss this for the world."

SG-1: SVU

Lieutenant Tamara Johansen, or 'TJ' to her close friends, wearily rubbed her face with her hands as she sat in the cafeteria aboard the Prometheus. She had just finished taking inventory of all of the medical equipment that she and Dr. Simms would need to examine the virus on Tyro. And after reading for what felt like hours, her eyes felt as if they were about to fall out of their sockets. TJ glanced out the portholes in the wall and briefly admired the bright, flashing lights within the hyperspace corridor the ship traveled in.

Her smile faded when Everett walked into the room.

'No, don't call him that,' she told herself. 'He's your commanding officer…refer to him by his proper name.'

"Hello, TJ," Young said, as he took a seat across from her at the table. "Everything in order?"

"Yes, sir," she replied. Feeling uneasy, TJ abruptly stood. "I should get this to Dr. Simms."

Young stared at her in puzzlement. "You need to do that in person? Can't you just email the report straight to his tablet?"

'Oh, no,' TJ thought, as she gave him a wary look. "Does the colonel wish to speak to me about something?"

"Whoa, why so formal?" Young asked with a smile. "It's me, Everett."

Although they were the only ones in the cafeteria, TJ still lowered her voice as she sat back down. "I was under the assumption that we had ended our relationship…Colonel."

"We did. But there's no need to…." His words faded away. He glanced down at the table in a sheepish manner. "Um, Emily knows…about us. She wants a divorce."

TJ felt her guts twist with a mixture of horror and disgust just then. "Oh, my God…."

"It's ok, TJ," he quickly said.

"It's ok? You're getting a divorce, because of me, and it's ok?"

He shook his head. "No, it's not you. It's not your fault. Don't ever think that. Look, it's like I've told you before, Emily and I have been having a lot of problems, even before this. But there's a bright side to this, you know. We can start over; start fresh with a clean slate."

TJ smiled as she nodded. "Yes, that's a great way of looking at it. Have you told Emily that?"

Young stared at her wistfully. "I meant us, TJ."

"Oh my God!" TJ moved to stand up again, until he pulled her back down. "Everett, you can't be serious!"

"Why not?" he asked. "We can now enjoy our relationship, enjoy being with each other, without the guilt."

"That's supposed to make me feel better?" she hissed. "I came between you and Emily, I helped to end a marriage! Besides, the Air Force doesn't look too kindly on its officers fraternizing with each other, so there would still be plenty of guilt for us to deal with, anyway."

He waved his hand at that. "You seriously think we're the only ones in the service who're fooling around? I mean, it's well known that Colonel Carter enjoys a very special relationship with General O'Neill."

TJ knew all too well about Carter and O'Neill. She was with them during the Battle For The Antarctic, and clearly saw the love that they had for each other then. They had been careful, just as they were now, not to show any outwards signs of their true feelings for each other while on duty. But TJ still noted the underlying affection that they had; the same type of loving affection that could only come from two close soul mates.

Perhaps it was a longing within TJ for a similar kind of relationship, just like that of Carter and O'Neill's, that initially made her fall in love with Everett Young. Truth be told, Everett was a kind and decent man with a heart of gold. But TJ had deluded herself into thinking that she had found a love just like what Colonel Carter had…for unlike Carter, TJ had fallen for a man who was already married.

"We're not Carter and O'Neill," she said softly, with regret in her voice. "And whatever we had, Everett, it was wonderful. But it's over. Once this mission is finished, I'm asking for a transfer out of SG-7."

"TJ, c'mon, there's no need for you to…." he started to say, as she rose from the table and left the room. "TJ! Come on! Don't punish yourself for this!"

She was tempted to turn back and tell him that her leaving SG-7 was for the best. For the both of them. Yet several crewmembers had entered the cafeteria, and TJ had no desire to resume her intimate conversation with strangers present. Instead she turned and saluted him.

"I shall see you later, Colonel."

She stood waiting for him to return the salute, and when Young reluctantly did so, TJ finally left the cafeteria. She walked through the door normally enough, but when she hit the corridor, TJ broke into a run. She only stopped when the tears were coming so fast and furious that she could see anymore.

'It's over, it's really over,' TJ thought, with a mixture of relief and sadness, as she quickly wiped the tears from her eyes.

"You all right?"

TJ was startled to see Lieutenant Matthew Scott standing there. He gazed at her with concern.

"Yeah, um, just checking this…thing…." TJ awkwardly said, as she pretended to examine a pipe that jutted out from the wall. "You know…making sure it's working…."

Matt gave her an incredulous sideways glance that clearly stated he didn't believe her for a second. "Right…that's not gonna explode or anything, is it, TJ?"

'My head is going to explode,' TJ thought, as she felt her face turn red, 'from embarrassment!'

"Um, no, there's no chance of that happening," she told him with a heavy sigh. "It's been taken care of."

Matt still had a concerned look on his face. "You sure?"

"Yes," TJ replied, now feeling more at ease. She was actually speaking about herself right now. "Yes, things are fine, now. I just want to concentrate on the work, now, you know?"

"When you say 'work' I assume that would be medical stuff, and not starship engineering?" Matt asked with a slight smile.

TJ couldn't help but burst into a laugh at the absurdity of this conversation. "Yes, I…um, yeah, I might as well stick to what I know, right?"

He nodded with a grin. "I'm sure Dr. Simms will be happy to hear that."

They were interrupted when an alert klaxon sounded throughout the ship. "Proximity alert," a man's voice said over the intercom. "We're now five minutes out from target zone. I say again: we are now five minutes to target zone."

And just like that, the insane, goofy moment was gone. "Well," Scott said grimly, "here we go."

As they both walked briskly to the bridge, TJ wondered if now was a good time to tell him about her decision to leave SG-7. But she then decided against saying anything about it, at least for now.

'There'll be plenty of time to tell Matt later,' TJ thought with a nod.

They went to the bridge to find Jacob standing beside Colonel Newell and Everett. 'Damn it, he's not your boyfriend anymore,' TJ reminded herself. 'So stop referring to the colonel by his first name!'

The rest of SG-7, including Dr. Simms, Sgt Ron Greer, and scientific specialists Lt. Walter Grooms and Dr. Gene Samson, were also present.

"We're coming up on the Tyro system now," Colonel Newell announced. He turned to Jacob and added, "We'll pull out of hyperspace on the outskirts of the system and drop you off there. You can make the rest of the trip in your ship."

"That's assuming we haven't been spotted by now," Jacob said anxiously.

"We'll know for sure in the next few moments," Newell replied. When a light on a console lit up, he turned to the helmsman. "Take us out, now."

"Jumping out of hyperspace, sir," the helmsman reported.

TJ watched as the hyperspace light show outside the ship's windows were replaced with the dull blackness of space.

"Our position reads as being on the outskirts of the Tyro system, sir," the helmsman announced. "Just over one parsec beyond the last planet."

"Find the super gate and post the live-feed image on the monitors," Newell ordered. "I want to see what progress they've made, if any."

"Oh, I'd say they've made a lot of progress," Colonel Young muttered grimly, once the image of the super gate came up on the main monitor.

TJ had seen the previous photos of the half completed super gate in the briefing for SG-7 back at Stargate Command. But what she saw now was enough to make her blood run cold. Where the super gate was just a half circle in the previous pictures, it was now about three-quarters finished, with the overall gate having a 'C' shape as it hung in space.

"We'd better get going," Jacob said. "SG-7, you're with me in the main hanger. Larry, remain on station back here until either we call you, or if you see all hell breaking loose. "

"I don't mind telling you, Jacob, that I'm inclined to just attack that thing right now," Newell said.

Colonel Everett nodded. "Yeah, I agree. That gate's too far along, now, Jacob. Better to just blow it away, while we can. We can always make our threat assessment after the fact."

Before Jacob could respond, an alert klaxon sounded throughout the ship.

"Proximity alert!" the helmsman called out. "We've got an unknown object approaching on the port side, sir!"

"Indentify!" Newell ordered.

"Looks like an unmanned probe," the science officer called from her station. "Yes, sir, definitely an unmmaned probe, about two meters in length, one meter wide. Unknown configuration. We're being scanned."

Jacob angrily shook his head. "Damn it, they made us!"

"Battlestations," Newell called. "Helm, plot a course in hyperspace towards the gate. Have us come out right at gun range. We're going to destroy it."

"Yes, sir, plotting course, now."

Newell turned to weapons control. "All rail guns, target the gate and begin firing the moment we're in range."

"Yes, sir," the weapons control officer replied. "Rail guns report they're ready."

"Hyperspace course plotted," the helmsman said.

Newell sat in his command chair and nodded. "Time to target?"

"At this short distance, barely thirty seconds, sir."

Newell nodded. "Punch it."

TJ was so enraptured at the scene on the bridge that she nearly jumped out of her skin when someone abruptly gripped her arm. It turned out to be Colonel Young. "Hold onto something," he told her gravelly. "This is gonna be a bumpy ride."

TJ gripped the ceiling railing above her head just as the ship dove into to hyperspace. And no sooner was it traveling through the familiar hyperspace light corridor than the Prometheus had jumped out. It had an unnerving affect on TJ, and she was grateful for the Colonel's…for Everett's warning, for if she had not been holding onto something, TJ would have been lying facedown on the deck right now.

"Rail guns report target acquisition," the weapons officer announced.

"Fire at will!" Newell commanded.

She gazed wide-eyed out the main windows at the super gate, which loomed over them like a great, ungodly monster in space. Then TJ's eyes grew even wider when she saw something amazing.

The super gate began to glow.

TJ pointed at the gate. "Wait, what's…."

Almost as if on cue, the blackened heavens outside the windows exploded into a frenzy of light as the unfinished super gate began to open fire on them. The ship began to buck and rock as it was being hit by a multitude of energy bolts that fired relentlessly from all around the uncompleted circle that hung before them.

"They're fully armed!" Everett shouted at Newell.

"So I've noticed!" Newell shouted back. "Sally, have forward rail guns target the main-"

"Forward rail guns are out, sir," she reported, before he could even finish his order.

TJ was blasted back against the bulkhead by another furious broadside of gunfire from the gate. It must have knocked the wind out of her, because she momentarily had lost her bearings. Was she still standing? No, she was laying down. Matt was hovering over her, looking concerned. Then Everett appeared, and he really looked worried.

"Let's get her out of here!" he ordered the others.

TJ oddly felt numb, as if she were floating through the air, until she realized that Everett had picked her up and carried her off of the bridge. They were in the corridor just behind the bridge, and there was flashing lights, and people running frantically around, shouting….

"THE BRIDGE!" a man shouted, "THEY GOT THE BRIDGE!"

Then everything shook again, and TJ found herself on the floor once more, with Everett covering her body with his. She grabbed him, as the ship rattled violently around them, and the lights flickered on and off above her. As she held tightly to Everett, TJ faintly wished that she could take back the mean things she had said to him earlier.

"I love you," she whispered into his ear. "No matter what happens, know that I love you with all of my heart."

He gazed at her, face to face, and said, "I love you too."

And for that moment, when they exchanged their expressions of love for each other, all the noise and violence that surrounded them had faded. Then Matt appeared by Everett's side, and hollered something, and when he did, the ugly reality of their situation came rushing back to TJ in sight, sound and feeling.

She sat up just then, as the bulkhead down the ways from them was violently ripped out in a fierce explosion.

"This way, Colonel!" Matt shouted, as he gestured at something.

"Can you walk?" Everett asked TJ.

TJ took one look at the buckling hallway before them, and realized that the ship was in its dying throes. "Watch me run," she told him.

She quickly got to her feet and let Everett lead her to where Matt was frantically pointing: a life pod entrance. Everett let her climb in first, where she saw a wounded Jacob being tended to by a female crewmember. She sat crosslegged on the floor of the pod, cradling Jacob's head in her arms. TJ immediately sat down next to her and examined the bloody gash on Jacob's head as Everett and Matt climbed into the pod and sealed the door.

Everett punched the big red button, which flashed on and off, and there was a sudden violent jerk as their life pod ejected itself from the hull of the shuddering Prometheus.

TJ and the others looked out the single window as the rapidly disintergrating Prometheus, which twisted and trembled under the withering amount of gunfire from the Ori super gate, fell away from them as their life pod streaked through space.

TJ let out a gasp of horror and sadness when the Prometheus, taking all that it could, finally ripped apart in a massive explosion.

They were now left in their tiny life pod, with its mini-engine that was far too small to even get them out of the Tyro system, much less all the way home.

Jacob's injury didn't appear to be that bad. In fact, he was coming around as TJ applied pressure to the wound on his head. "TJ, what happened?"

"The Prometheus is gone," she told him. "We're in a life pod."

Jacob tried to get a look at his surroundings, but lay his head back on the lap of the female crewmember, whose name tag read Sgt. First Class Helen Chiders. "Who's we?"

"Myself, Colonel Young, Lt. Scott, and Sgt. Childers," she replied.

"Damn," Jacob muttered. "Should have let me go in by myself."

"It wouldn't have made a difference, Jacob," Everett said. "The result would probably have been the same."

"Yeah, but earth wouldn't have lost one of her battleships," Jacob said. He slowly sat up, and when TJ tried to help him, he waved her off. "Thanks, TJ, but Selmak is already working his magic inside of me. Are we the only life pod?"

"No, there were many others launching when we did," Scott replied.

TJ thought about Ron and the others from their team, and hoped that they managed to get to a life pod before it was too late.

They were all startled by the sound of something large and metallic clamping down on the top of their life pod. Sgt. Chiders glanced out the window and exclaimed, "We're moving!"

"In the opposite direction of our engine's thrust," Scott pointed out.

'They got us,' TJ thought with a renewed sense of dread. 'The Ori got us!' She turned to the group and nervously asked, "So what now?"

"Hope that the Ori are a kind and forgiving people," Everett told her.

"You seriously think they are?" Jacob asked skeptically. "Remember, these people thought nothing of slaughtering an entire planet just to keep this operation secret."

Everett just shrugged. "Looks like we're about to find out, Jacob."

SG1: SVU

Olivia watched through the glass as the Ori pilot sat on the bed and spoke something under his breath with his eyes closed. He wore a hospital gown, and had his wrists and ankles strapped down to the bed. Guards warily watched him from the doorway of the med lab while Janet and Dr. Lam busied themselves performing the various tasks they needed for a full evaluation on him.

Sam, Daniel and Teal'c all stood in the observation room with Olivia, quietly watching as Janet had tried speaking to the Ori pilot, who ignored her as he kept his eyes shut and continued muttering under his breath.

Olivia didn't think this man looked so intimidating, yet she reminded herself that he was part of a larger war machine that was a very serious threat. No less an expert than Merlin himself had persistently warned them about the coming of the Ori, and, if nothing else, the very presence of this confused young man was proof that they were finally here.

'Another enemy, another war,' Olivia thought solemnly, 'just what we frigging need right now...'

Jack entered the observation room and asked, "He say anything worth listening to, yet?"

"No, sir. It's the same thing." Sam clicked on the audio from the lab, and they heard the man repeat the same four words over and over again, as if in a chant. The words were in a language that they presently could not decipher.

"Any luck in translating what he's saying?" Jack asked.

Daniel shook his head. "It almost sounds like Latin, but that's not it. It's definitely a chant of some kind. Listen to the rhythm: he keeps repeating it like a mantra, over and over. The same four words."

"All right, I've heard enough," Jack said, with a slashing gesture at his throat. "Kill the sound, Carter." When she did, he added: "We heard back from Neith at the rendezvous point. Casey wasn't there, but a fellow named Tomer, who's Neith's First Prime, relayed the message."

"Is the meeting still a go?" Olivia asked.

"If it is, it'll be at another meeting point, one chosen by me," Jack replied. "I made the point to Tomer that I'm not meeting Neith on a planet of her choosing, underneath the guns of her ships in orbit. We're still waiting for word from Her Lord Empress as to whether she agrees to meet us where I suggested, or not."

"A wise move, O'Neill," Teal'c said with an approving nod.

Cam entered with Jennifer and Grace. "Just finished looking over the goodies that arrived with the Ori welcoming committee," Cam said. "And found some interesting stuff."

"Such as?" Jack asked.

"Remember that baton we found on the pilot's person, Colonel?" Jennifer asked Sam.

"The one with the twin spikes on the end?" Sam asked.

Jennifer nodded. "Turns out it's not a simple baton, but more along the lines of a smaller version of the Jaffa staff weapon."

"Packs a hell of a punch, too," Cam said, with a smile. "I tried it out in the firing range…wound up nuking the target into flaming ashes."

"But here's where it gets weird," Grace joined in. "The clothing, armor and helmet that the Ori pilot wore, they're all hand-made. The helmet and chest armor looked to have been pounded into shape on an anvil. You can even see the hammer marks in the metal. His weaponry and ship are space age, but his clothing is straight out of the middle ages. It doesn't add up."

"Actually, it does," Daniel said, as he stared thoughtfully at the chanting pilot. "I mean, look at him, this is pure fear…he's scared to death of us! This is the reaction of somebody from a civilization that's much lower than us on the technological totem pole. I get the vibe from him that he's just a simple dude, you know, one who was happily working on a farm, or hunting in the woods…until he was drafted into being a pilot. I could be wrong, but…."

"No, I get that. I'd just love to know where is his farm located," Jack said. He hit the switch on the intercom. "Frasier, a word with you up here regarding your patient?"

Janet nodded in agreement as she ran towards the door. In her absence, Dr. Lam gave the pilot a shot with a needle.

"She's giving him a sedative," Janet explained, when she appeared in the observation room. "I figure he could use the rest…as can all of us, from listening to him ranting on and on!"

"How is he, Doctor?" Jack asked. "Better yet, who is he?"

"He's completely human," Janet replied. "Down to his DNA. He's got the same organs, in the same place, as the rest of us."

"The Ori are humans?" Jack asked, sounding like he didn't believe it.

"Their foot soldiers are," Cam said. "Maybe the guys in charge are giant, creepy squids."

"If that's the case, then you can be the one to meet with them," Sam spoke up with a grin. "Open negotiations between our races?"

Cam grinned at that, but before he could reply, the base alarm klaxon sounded, with Harriman requesting O'Neill's presence in the control room. They all went to see what it was. It turned out to be the response from Neith, relayed through her First Prime, whose image was transmitted to them via the MALP they had sent through.

"Her Lord Empress has agreed to meet with you at the location you requested within six hours," the Jaffa said.

"Casey Novak will be present?" Jack asked.

"Yes," the First Prime replied. "She shall be there, as well."

Jack just nodded easily at him. "Thanks, so much, Tomer."

Camille Wray, who stood next to Jack, brought her hand up to her face and whispered, "Tom'ar."

"Right, whatever…my thanks to him, as well!" Jack cheerfully said. "Was there anything else, Toner?"

Neith's First Prime just stared at Jack with an odd look. "Er…no…."

"Great, see you at the weenie roast then, Toner! O'Neill out."

The extremely confused First Prime of Neith had glanced off camera at someone, and had started to mouth the words, "Weenie roast?" just as the image was cut off.

Camille stared at O'Neill and said, "Weenie roast?"

"Sure, you know, the big bash, the shing-dig," he said.

"Should you be so flippant about a meeting with the Lord Empress of the Netian Empire?" Camille asked. "If this works out all right, it might lead to peace."

"Peace, from the woman who's known as the goddess of the hunt and of warfare?" Jack shot back. "I doubt that Camille."

'They're now on a first name basis?' Olivia realized with a shock. She discreetly glanced over at Sam and noticed that she saw it, as well.

"What do you think her motives are, sir," Cam asked Jack.

"I don't know, but I do know that, whatever it is, Neith needs our help very badly," Jack replied. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to assign SG-3 to scout out the meeting place for us."

"With the Temple of the Dove being a bust, I need to do some research, look for some new leads for us to pursue," Daniel said to Sam, "and I'm taking Liv and Grace with me. So, if you don't need us…."

Sam began to nod, but before she could say a word, Jack cut her off. "Liv's staying here."

Olivia stared at him with surprise. "I am?"

"You are," Jack confirmed. "Casey will be at the meeting with Neith. And as her closest friend, I'll need you there. You can warn me if anything is off with Casey."

"Sure thing," Olivia agreed.

"There's another problem that's just come up," Jack said with a weary sigh. "The Prometheus is overdue on her communications check."

"It's been now over twenty five minutes, sir," Harriman said, when Jack checked in on him. "Still no word from them."

The uneasy silence that bit of news created was shattered by Wray, who asked, "Couldn't they just be operating under radio silence to avoid being spotted by the Ori?"

But Jack shook his head. "They can easily do that while still keeping in touch with us. No, something's wrong."

When he gazed uneasily at an anxious-looking Sam, she quickly put her best game face forward and said, "I guess SG-1 finally has a mission, huh, sir?"

"Checking up on the Prometheus," he said softly. "Yes, Carter; it's yours if you want it."

"We want it," Sam said firmly.

Jack nodded. "Take a ship, something with a cloak, and head for the Tyro system. But keep this in mind: you are not to engage the enemy, no matter what has happened, understand? Just go and review the situation. If you should find wreckage, do not investigate it, just come right back here and report. That's all."

"You don't seriously think that…." Wray started to say, then she silenced herself. "Never mind me. Godspeed to you and your team, Colonel Carter. I hope you only find good news."

"Well, um, guess the research can wait," Daniel said to Grace.

"No, it can't," Sam told him. "As you've just said yourself, Daniel, with the Temple of the Dove gone, we've now got nothing. You and Grace stay here, and see what you can find out for us, ok?"

"All right, Sam," Daniel said. "Will do."

"Well," Sam said to Cam with a heavy sigh. To Olivia, it sounded like she was fighting back an overwhelming sadness. "Guess we better get going."

"Yeah," Cam solemnly replied. "Ready when you are, boss."

"Teal'c, Hailey, let's go," Sam said.

Olivia watched them as they left the control room, wanting desparately to say something that would relieve Sam's pain. Yet she was afraid to say anything, because her own gut feeling told her that, whatever had happened at the Tyro system, it wasn't good.

'Damn it,' Olivia thought miserably, 'will things ever go our way for a frigging change?'

SG-1: SVU

Kronos was pleased.

The de facto ruler of what was left of the Sons Of Darkness viewed the galactic map of the overall Netian Empire on the console in the command center of their new hidden base, and was heartened to see that a large percentage of it had been overwhelmed by the metallic insects. They had merely released a handful of the creatures here and there, on several backwater worlds of the Empire, and soon the entire realm was swarmed with them.

And, what made matters even better was the news that the abomination known as Neith had ceased fighting the metallic insects and had retreated! Neith had ran scurrying away!

With the Netian Empire so obviously ready to fall, Kronos realized that it was time for them to set their sights elsewhere. It was time to target another hated enemy with a plague of the metallic insects.

Turning to his lieutenant, Kronos said, "It's high time that the Tauri pay for their crime of killing Lord Belial. Send a team to unleash the Replicators on earth."

To Be Continued...