My thanks to those of you who have favored either me, or this story.

Stargate: SVU 4

Chapter Nine

Jacob stood amidst the devastated wasteland that was once known as the planet Tyro, a thriving world of several million people. He stood before the stargate with his hands bound behind his back, with a pair of Ori soldiers on either side of him. In the distance, he could still hear the massive bulldozers plowing the multitude of bodies into mass graves. This grim burial operation ran day and night.

They had been brought to the planet's surface by the Ori in their life pod. Once the hatch was opened, their group was immediately separated by the soldiers, who spoke in a language that neither Jacob, nor Selmak, could understand.

Jacob felt especially bad for Everett and TJ; it was obvious that they cared deeply for each other, and TJ still tried to cling to Everett while the Ori soldiers had heartlessly ripped them from each other's grasp. That was when their wrists were bound behind their backs and they were each escorted into private rooms within a large, ornate building that appeared to have been the seat of the Tyro government.

Jacob had been carefully examined by two human-looking men with sophisticated devices. He had tried speaking with them, but to no avail. At one point, Selmak had even taken over and tried conversing with the men in Goa'uld, as well as a few other languages. But if the men had understood a word of what Selmak said, they didn't let on.

When their testing was finished, one of the men left the room, then came back with a guy who had to be the leader. He was dressed in white robes, held a large staff in one hand, and his skin was whiter than newly fallen snow. But it was the man's eyes that really got Jacob's attention.

They glowed a brilliant red.

'I have never seen anything like this before,' Selmak had said.

"Hello," Jacob asked. "Are you the guy in charge?"

The robed man just stared at Jacob as if he were a bug, then he nodded his head to the other men, as if in approval. Jacob wasn't sure if that was a god thing or not. But that was when Jacob was escorted out of the room by the soldiers and brought before the stargate.

He was joined by Everett Young, who also had his hands tied behind his back, and was escorted by another pair of Ori troopers. "Jacob, good to see you. Did you see where they took TJ and the others?"

Jacob shook his head sadly. "I was examined by a pair of guys in a small room. Then a guy with glowing red eyes came in and nodded. It was like I passed some kind of a test."

"Yeah, the same thing just happened with me too." Everett looked uneasy. "You don't suppose they were checking to see if we had caught the plague they used here?"

"No idea. I do know that we're going on a trip," Jacob replied, as he nodded at one of the Ori troopers, who dialed up the gate.

"You see this gizmo?" Everett asked.

Jacob nodded. The device was hard to avoid, for it was the size of a tank as it sat next to the gate…and it glowed ominously. "Could it be a generator?"

"For the stargate?" Everett asked skeptically. "I thought their power was self-contained."

"No, wait…it is for the stargate," Jacob suddenly said, as he watched the soldier engage an eighth chevron.

Everett grunted in amazement. "An eighth chevron, just like when they dial it for Atlantis…we're going to another galaxy!"

"You wanna take bets on whether it'll be Pegasus?" Jacob joked darkly, just before they were shoved by the soldiers through the event horizon.

The trip was slightly longer than normal through the wormhole, and when they stepped through to the other side, Jacob found himself standing in a castle of some kind. There were more Ori soldiers who greeted them.

Speaking harshly in their own language, the soldiers gestured for Jacob and Everett to come with them, which they did. They didn't have much choice in the matter.

They were led to a grand hallway, at the end of which was something that looked to Jacob like a huge fireplace. As they were being led up to it, he realized that the glowing, pulsing firestorm behind the black gates wasn't fire, but some sort of extremely powerful energy.

A figure emerged from this maelstrom of fiery light, and the black gates automatically opened to allow him to step into the room. It was a man, with snow-white skin and glowing red eyes. But the elaborate design of his robe, and the regal manner with which he held himself, easily designated him as being a leader.

"Doci," the soldiers said in unison. The respect in which they spoke this word made it obvious to Jacob that this fellow was their leader.

The Ori soldiers forced both Jacob and Everett to their knees as their leader strode up to them. The Doci glared at them with a smile that was frightening to behold. Then he spoke a few simple-sounding words in their language.

"We can't understand you," Everett said. "I don't know if you can-"

He ceased talking when one of the Ori soldiers punched him on the side of the head. The guttural-sounding words he spoke were still gibberish to Jacob, yet he still understood: do not speak.

The Doci glared down at Jacob as he held out his hand. At first, Jacob though the Ori leader was going to help him to his feet. But then the man turned his hand so that his palm was directed at Jacob's face.

And his hand began to glow.

"You ever get to see my kids and grandkids, Everett," Jacob said softly, "tell them I love them, ok?"

Everett laughed bitterly. "Funny, I was just about to ask you the same thing with regards to my family. I sure wish I knew if TJ was all right."

Jacob glanced over and saw the Ori leader was about to touch Everett's face with his other hand, which also glowed unnaturally.

"It's been nice knowing you, Jacob."

"Yeah, Everett…you too."

That was the last thing Jacob had managed to say, just before the searing, white hot flames bored its way into his skull through his eyes.

SG-1: SVU

General Hammond and Mr. Woolsey arrived in time to be able to sit in on the conference room meeting with SG-1. O'Neill had also invited Stacy Monroe, the commander of the Icarus, so she could give her report as to what they found aboard the captured Alkesh that was used by the Sons.

As O'Neill sat at the conference table with everyone, a growing sense of dread filled him as he realized that things were now coming to a hard boil.

They had scored big time with the discovery the location of the Sons Of Darkness' newest base, while Daniel realized that Atlantis would prove to be the best bet for discovering information on the Ori. But there was a time limit on everything: once the Sons realized that the ship they'd sent to earth was overdue, they might evacuate their base. And Atlantis was facing a major invasion force from the Wraith that might force them to evacuate their base completely.

'And let's not forget the Ori super gate,' O'Neill dismally reminded himself. He had seen the photos that Sam had brought back, and was astonished, and annoyed, to see how far along the gate was. And now that it had just fended off an attack by the Prometheus, O'Neill would have no doubt that the Ori builders would be working double time to get the gate ready.

As Camille read the dire message from Dr. Weir aloud to the group at the table, O'Neill realized that they really needed their own fleet of ships to deal with this crisis. But while Jonas Quinn and his team of designers were hard at work on building a fleet of more powerful vessels at Area 51, with the rapid way events were unfolding, Earth may wind up being destroyed long before its fleet was ready. By the time the earth fleet was able to fight, the Ori super gate will have long been completed, and….

'Hold on, that's it, isn't it?' O'Neill thought, as he was seized with an epiphany. 'The super gate was really the key to this whole affair…but not for the Ori…for us.'

"Sir?"

Sam's concerned voice roused O'Neill out of his musings. He glanced around the table to see everyone now stared expectedly at him. "Oh, sorry, Carter, guess I faded out on you there, didn't I?"

"You all right, sir?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, just doing some thinking about this entire situation that we're facing."

"I know that look, Jack," Hammond said, with a slight smile. "What are you planning?"

"Something really crazy," O'Neill replied thoughtfully, as the last few pieces of his plan fell into place within his mind. "Yeah, it's a pretty crazy plan, but it might just work…."

"You have a plan on stopping the Ori from completing their super gate?" Woolsey said hopefully.

"Actually, Mr. Woolsey, my plan requires that the Ori complete their super gate," O'Neill said.

Woolsey stared at him as if he were insane. "Excuse me, but I thought it was agreed that we would send the Icarus to attack the Ori super gate."

"I discussed that matter with you on the plane ride over here, Mr. Woolsey," Hammond corrected him. "But that did not mean that I had endorsed the idea."

"If we send the Icarus, it will just get blown away by the Ori super gate, just like the Prometheus was," O'Neill said. "No offense to you and your crew, Stacy."

She nodded. "None taken, sir."

O'Neill just shook his head. "No, there's really no stopping the Ori from completing that gate and sending their fleet in."

"And that's it?" Woolsey asked, sounding frantic. "We just ignore them and let the Ori invade us en mass?"

"No," O'Neill replied, as he thoughtfully gazed at his hands. "Because, by the time they get that super gate operational and start sending their fleet through, I hope to have a little welcoming party ready for them."

"Really?" Woolsey asked incredulously. "How? You said yourself that the Icarus won't be a match for them."

"If all goes well, Mr. Woolsey, Her Lord Empress Neith, along with a good chunk of the Netian Empire battle fleet, will be there to greet the Ori as they come through the super gate," O'Neill replied.

Olivia leaned forward. "You plan on asking Neith to attack the Ori?"

"I trust Neith about as much as I trust the Ori, Liv," O'Neill said. "No, I'm planning on tricking her into attacking the Ori."

"And what if she decides not to attack them?" Woolsey asked.

"Then we are in deep doo-doo," O'Neill admitted. "But I seriously doubt that Neith will just ignore the Ori."

"Uh, yeah, I agree," Daniel spoke up. "I mean, Neith is the goddess of the hunt and of warfare. She's proven herself to be a masterful tactician who hasn't backed down from a fight yet. So when she sees these new bullies stomping around in her back yard, I'm also willing to bet that she's going to attack them."

"But for right now," O'Neill added, "I want to split SG-1 up. Carter, you can make the decision on how the team gets split. But half of SG-1, along with a company of Marines, goes to Atlantis. They'll use their Ancient library and find out whatever they can about the Ori. Hopefully, they'll be able to find us something that we can use to defeat the Ori."

"We might be dropping in right in the middle of the Wraith attack, sir," she reminded him.

O'Neill nodded. "That's why you'll be bringing the Marines with you. They will help with the defense of the Atlantis base against the Wraith."

"And what about the other half of SG-1, Jack?" Hammond asked.

"They will attack the Sons' new base on the planet Shalio from the Icarus."

Sam turned to Mitchell and said, "Cam, you want to head up that assignment? I'll take the team to Atlantis."

"Will do." Mitchell glanced at O'Neill. "Will we have Marines with us, as well, sir?"

"Yes. Whatever you need, just ask for it. That goes for you, as well, Monroe. But bear in mind that your mission is top secret," O'Neill said. "Even afterwards, when it's over, nobody must know that the Sons Of Darkness have been taken out. It's all part of the greater plan, understand?"

When everyone nodded, Sam spoke up: "Sir, what if things get too hot for us on Atlantis?"

"If it looks like the Wraith are winning, then evac the Atlantis base with the rest of the team. But be sure to blow it up. Bring a nuke with you. Hell, bring several, just to be sure."

"Leave them nothing," she said with a nod. "Got it, sir."

Hammond had a satisfied look on his face. "So your plan is to try and retrieve whatever information you can to defeat the Ori from the Atlantis base. And, failing that, you'll then try to get the two biggest bruisers in the galaxy to beat each other to a pulp. I like it."

"Thanks, sir," O'Neill said. "It's also my hope that, while Neith and the Ori are battling it out, we'll send a team into the Tyro system to try and rescue the survivors of the Prometheus under cover of all the chaos. Do we have your approval?"

"You have a go, Jack," he said softly. "Good luck to you all."

"Yes," Woolsey chimed in. "May you all come back safely."

O'Neill stood up. "In that case, seeing as we're pressed for time, I'd like SG-1 to start getting ready for their assignments, pronto. Carter, may I speak with you in private?"

They walked into his office, and no sooner did O'Neill shut the door than did Sam embrace him tightly. The shades were all drawn, giving them all the privacy they needed. Having her this close to him felt so good. But O'Neill had wanted to explain to her why they didn't go after any survivors of the Prometheus, specifically her dad, right away. Sam's reaction, pleasant as it was, had caught him off guard.

"I'm sorry," O'Neill said softly, as he tightly returned her hug.

"You have nothing to apologize for," she told him, her face buried in his shoulder. He gently rubbed the back of her head.

"It's just that I don't want you to think that I've forgotten Jacob," he said. "Far from it, I'm-"

"You're doing everything in your power to help him," she said, cutting him off. Sam gazed up at him with sheer love in her eyes. "I understand, Jack, believe me, I do. And I love you with all my heart. I guess I just needed a hug right now."

"Any time." They kissed passionately just then, and O'Neill found himself wanting her to stay here and be safe with him. But that wouldn't be fair to her, the commander of SG-1, who needed to be in the field with her people. And so when they parted, all he said was: "You be careful in Atlantis."

"We will," she promised him. "And now, if you'll excuse me…sir."

"Go get 'em, Carter," he said, as he opened the door for her.

O'Neill watched as Sam huddled with the SG-1 team members as they quickly sorted out who would do what. He momentarily felt an odd pang of regret for becoming a general, because he wanted nothing more right now than to go out there with all of them.

'I'll gladly settle for all of them coming back home, safe and sound,' O'Neill thought.

SG-1: SVU

Vala let out a heavy sigh as she sat cross-legged on her bed in her private room at SGC. Her private room might as well have been her prison cell, for she was practically locked inside it, with a guard always posted right outside her door. Vala, who was barefoot, and clad in a black t-shirt with a pair of green BDU pants, glumly leafed through a magazine. But she wasn't really paying any attention to the magazine; her thoughts instead were focused on the main problem at hand, which was how the Hades was she ever going to get them to completely trust her?

Vala had heard the gate klaxon sound several times earlier, and as much as she wanted to just go and see what was happening, the guard would not permit her to leave the room. Vala wasn't just desperate to help the SGC out of boredom, but because she had genuinely wanted to help. She desperately needed to help.

Vala still retained the memories of Qetesh, including some horrendous things that damn snake had done while using her body. Horrible things, such as many vicious torture sessions, with poor helpless victims writhing helplessly bound, all while Qetesh had laughed in their faces. She had literally giggled right in the face of one poor soul until he was dead.

While Vala fully realized that it hadn't been truly her who had committed these evil deeds, that still didn't make her feel any better. Once she was freed of Qetesh, and once Vala realized that she still had that damn snake's memories, she was determined to put these memories to good use in helping people for a change.

'But what good am I, how can I help anybody, as long as they keep me locked up in here?' Vala thought morosely.

She was startled by a knock at the door. "Vala, this is Colonel Mitchell," he called through the door. "You decent?"
Vala got up from the bed and opened the door. "I'm always decent, Colonel Mitchell."

Mitchell regarded her coolly as he leaned against the doorframe. "What do you know about a Goa'uld stronghold called Shalio?"

"Well, for one thing, it's no longer a Goa'uld stronghold. Ba'al and Qetesh abandoned it quite some time ago." She regarded him suspiciously. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"

He smiled and nodded. "I knew it was abandoned. But not by Ba'al and his gal. Why was it abandoned?"

"Because it was too far out of the way to adequately defend it, not to mention that it was very old and run down. Most of the technology within the base is obsolete," Vala told him. "So Ba'al had everything of value moved from Shalio and it was left abandoned."

"What else do you know about it? The layout?"

Vala suddenly felt like she was back in school again, giving an oral test. "It's basically an underground storage facility, originally built by a conquered race; I don't know who, because Ba'al had exterminated them long before Qetesh joined him. The only evidence of the base's existence is a large, hardened bunker on the surface. It's largely a desert planet. May I ask why you wish to know all of this?"

"Just got word that the Sons Of Darkness are using Shalio for their base," Mitchell said. "And we're going to hit it. You interesting in coming? I could use an expert on the layout."

"Right now?" Vala said excitedly. When Mitchell nodded in response, she giddily left her room and strode into the hallway. "Well, then, let's go! What are we waiting for?"

"Vala?" Mitchell pointed at her feet. "Shoes?"

"Oh, yeah…right." Vala ran back into her room, picked up her boots and a pair of fresh socks and tucked them under her arm. "I can put these on when I 'gear up'. That's how you say it? 'Gear up', yeah?"

"Works for me," he said with a shrug, as they began walking down the corridor.

"Oh, you think I could have a weapon this time?" Vala asked.

"No," Mitchell quickly replied. He gave her a sideways glance. "Look, you're coming, ok? Don't push your luck."

"Ok, ok," Vala said. "You're absolutely right."

Despite being denied a weapon, Vala was still giddy enough to just be out on another mission with SG-1. 'At least I'm finally out of that damned room!' she happily thought.

Various SGC personnel in the corridors all stared in puzzlement, as well as in amusement, at the black-haired, barefoot woman who merrily skipped alongside a stoic Colonel Mitchell as they made their way down the hall.

SG-1: SVU

"What do you want with me?"

The women were dressed in white, which made them look like doctors. They quietly and quickly fussed around TJ. She sat on a table with her hands bound behind her back. The room they were in appeared to have been the office of some bureaucrat in another time. A time before the entire population of this world had been needlessly slaughtered by the Ori.

Suddenly, a man clad in robes and holding a staff entered the room. His face was a shade of white unlike anything TJ had ever seen. But that wasn't the most striking thing about him. His eyes appeared to glow a vibrant red. He regarded TJ coldly, which sent chills running up her spine.

"Are you in charge?" TJ meekly asked him. "Because, if you are, I-I'd like to ask if-"

The man spoke just then in their unknown language, completely ignoring TJ, as if she weren't even there. The two women then bowed to him, one of them saying something in return.

Apparently, TJ's initial guess that this guy was in charge was correct. Seeing the way the women regarded him, with a great deal of reverence, made it clear to her that he was the head honcho. But was he the overall leader, or just a field commander?

The robed man then nodded with an approving smile. Then he gestured at her, and before she knew it, TJ was being hauled off of the table by the women. TJ was made to walk down a corridor, behind the robed man, who led her and her female escorts to another room.

Once TJ stepped through the doorway, she stopped and gaped in horror. The windows in this room had been covered with large curtains that bore the marking of the invaders. There were also four large candleholders that were alit at the four corners of a large table, which was the only piece of furniture in the room.

And the table was empty, save for four separate straps.

Realizing she was going to be tied down to the table, a frantic TJ turned on her heel and plowed right into the two women who walked behind her. She had caught them off guard, knocking them both to the floor of the corridor as she made a run for it. She still had her hands tied behind her back and was trapped, alone, behind enemy lines on an alien world. But TJ had figured that being shot down by the Ori troopers in the woods like a dog would be far more preferable than whatever horrors that they had planned for her inside that dimly lit room.

But TJ was unexpectedly seized by an invisible force that froze her right where she stood. She couldn't move any of her muscles. And, worse yet, TJ found that she could not even breathe. She stood helplessly frozen, gasping for air that was not there, as the robed man walked over and regarded her balefully with his glowing red eyes.

He muttered something under his breath, something that the panic-stricken TJ could not hear, and then he waved his hand.

Just seconds before she was about to black out from lack of air, TJ was released from the strange spell that the robed man had cast over her. She could move, and breathe, once more. But the whole ordeal, as brief as it was, had sapped TJ of all of her strength to the point where her female escorts had to practically carry her into the room.

"No, wait…." TJ weakly said, as the women sat her on the edge of the table. They began to remove her clothes. What they could not slip off was cut off with a sharp knife. Completely nude, she was then made to lay down.

"What are you doing?" TJ cried, as her arms were cut loose from behind her back, only to be retied above her head to the top of the table. Her feet were then bound at the ankles to the opposite sides of the table, spreading her legs apart in a vulgar manner. "Oh, God….please…."

The women collected the tatters of what remained of TJ's uniform, then bowed to the robed man, and then they left the room.

"What are you doing?" TJ asked, on the verge of tears. "Why are you doing this to me? ANSWER ME, DAMN YOU!"

The robed man simply continued watching her with those unnaturally red eyes of his, until the door opened. In the dimness of the room, it was hard for TJ to make out who had just entered. But the second man was clad in the same type of robes as her captor. TJ couldn't see his face in the darkness.

The first robed man nodded at him, then left the room.

As the second robed man stalked over to the table, where TJ was helplessly bound nude, she gritted herself for what was to come. "Do your worse to me! It won't matter, because you won't get what you want. You hear me? No matter what you do to me, I'll never give you what you want!"

"Easy, TJ," the man said in a familiar voice. "It's me, Everett."

All of the combativeness that TJ had thrown up like a shield instantly melted in that moment. "Everett?" she cried, her voice breaking. Leave to him to somehow get free and fake his way in here. "Oh, God, Everett, you don't know how happy I am to-"

TJ froze up once Everett had stepped into the light. His face was now just as white as the other robed man. And his eyes….

…they glowed as red as molten lava.

"OH, MY GOD, EVERETT!"

He calmly shushed her just then. "It's all right, TJ."

"It's all right? What the hell are you talking about? Look at you! You look like their leader! What happened to you?"

"Something wonderful," he replied, as he slowly climbed onto the table. Right on top of her naked body. His legs were bare.

TJ stared at him in complete and utter shock. "What are you doing?"

"A wondrous and beautiful task. You should feel privileged, TJ, for you and I have been chosen by the Doci, the high Ori leader, to aid him in something that is truly glorious! And you have been specifically chosen for this highest of high honors."

"EVERETT, NO! STOP! NO!" TJ screamed, as she frantically tried to wiggle out from under Everett. But her restraints kept her helplessly splayed out underneath him. "OH, GOD…PLEASE, LET ME WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE! LET ME WAKE UP NOW! PLEASE, GOD…PLEASE…."

"Hallowed be the Ori," the thing that was Everett Young said softly, just before he began to rape her.

SG-1: SVU

"Chevron four, locked," Walter called over the intercom.

'And here we go again,' Olivia thought, as she thoughtfully watched the stargate as it spun around. She had barely spent six hours here at the SGC, and now she was going back out again. And this time it would be to another galaxy.

Mitchell had taken Hailey, Teal'c and Vala with him. They had all left aboard the Icarus about a half an hour ago to destroy the Sons Of Darkness base. And now Olivia, along with Sam, Daniel and Grace were about to step through the wormhole with Colonel Bobby Lyman and over two hundred Marines. They were all on their way to Atlantis, a base which faced the threat of being under siege by the Wraith within the next few hours.

Bobby was bringing along rail guns, which had originally been earmarked for a refit of the Prometheus. But since that vessel had just been destroyed, Jack had quickly ordered the guns to be refitted into anti-aircraft cannons. They had been placed on wheeled bases and were complete with seats for the gunners. In addition to the rail guns, they were also bringing along some nukes along for the ride. The nukes were similar to Little Nellie, whom they used to destroy a Ha'tak vessel during the Battle For the Antarctic.

"Chevron five, locked."

As Olivia gazed at the massive army that stood waiting for the gate to open, she felt a great sense of unease within her. But it was not a fear from anticipating the coming battle. Instead, Olivia could not stop thinking about TJ.

"Chevron six, locked."

Olivia knew that TJ had been aboard the Prometheus when it was destroyed by the Ori. There was a poignant moment in the infirmary earlier, when Janet was giving Olivia a routine check up, and the doctor had absently asked TJ to retrieve a piece of medical equipment for her…only to realize that TJ wasn't there.

The hurt look that Janet had at that moment, when she realized that TJ was perhaps gone for good, was extremely painful for Olivia to see. And her casual mentioning of TJ's name had caused an uncomfortable pause in the infirmary. Olivia was about to console the doctor, but Janet quickly went to ease the pain of one of the nurses, who had burst into tears just then.

It was at that moment that Olivia realized that Janet was really the momma bear for the people in the infirmary. After helping the young nurse to pull herself back together, Janet gently urged the rest of her staff to do the same.

"We don't know what exactly happened to TJ," Janet told her people. "And until we know for sure, as far as I'm concerned, she's still alive out there, somewhere. And by continuing to do our jobs like the professionals that we are, we're showing that we're not giving up on TJ. We're not giving up on any of the people aboard the Prometheus."

Olivia had glanced over at Sam, who sat on the bed opposite from her, and saw that she had also begun to cry. Olivia knew that the cause of Sam's despair was her father, who was also one of the missing souls aboard the Prometheus. Olivia had promptly got up and drew the curtain around Sam's bed, giving her some privacy. Then she sat down next to Sam and placed an arm around her friend. Sam leaned over and placed her head on Olivia's shoulder.

Olivia didn't say anything as Sam softly cried against her shoulder. There was really nothing to say at this moment. But it was enough that Olivia was there for her friend. She just rubbed Sam's blond hair and gently rocked back and forth in a soothing motion. That was how Janet found them when she came back.

Janet appeared to deflate slightly as soon as she took cover behind the curtain that Olivia had drawn around the bed. Despite her pep talk to her staff, Janet looked bone-weary and on the verge of crying herself.

"It's damned hard," Janet whispered, as she placed a comforting hand on Sam's shoulder. "But don't you give up on Jacob, either, Sam."

"I won't," Sam promised, as she wiped away her tears with a tissue that Janet got for her. "Never."

"Chevron seven, locked!" Walter called.

Olivia was instantly snapped out of her reverie. She was further startled to hear Walter call out that the eighth Chevron had been locked, and then the stargate opened with its customary flourish. Then Olivia remembered that it took an extra chevron to bridge the gap between galaxies.

Olivia smiled as she watched Daniel and Grace continue to go over the list of questions they had made up to ask the Atlantis database. She loved how Grace kept finishing Daniel's sentences for him whenever he became preoccupied by writing down yet another note. Sam once asked her if she was jealous of Daniel's close relationship with Grace. But Olivia was never bothered by their close bond, for she knew that Daniel saw Grace as being the little sister he never had. Olivia also treated Grace, and Hailey, as being her little sisters, as well.

When Bobby nodded at her, Gail Emmaus turned to the large group of Marines and shouted: "EVERYBODY FORM UP! GET READY TO MOVE OUT!"

Olivia grinned as the various Marine Sergeants within the enlarged SG-3 promptly took up Gail's call to arms by walking up and down the line of troops and started screaming at them with profanity-laced tirades.

"Is the trip going to be any longer?" Grace nervously asked. "I mean, we are going to another galaxy, after all."

"It's a little further out," Sam admitted. "But the ride's the same…at least, that's what Dr. Weir told me once, when she came back for a visit. You'll be there before you know it, as usual. Don't worry about it."

Daniel shook his head uneasily as they walked up to the event horizon. "Actually, I'm more worried about meeting the Wraith. Soul-sucking vampires? I'm already missing the Netian Empire!"

"Soul-sucking space vampires from hell," Olivia wearily muttered, just before she stepped through the stargate. "This really just keeps getting better by the minute, doesn't it?"

Grace exploded into laughter at that, just as Olivia entered the wormhole. And Olivia had the pleasant sensation of hearing Grace's laughter echoed along with her as she traveled through the swirling vortex between the galaxies. Olivia wasn't sure whether she'd imagined it or not, but it was a nice accompaniment to the ride, nonetheless.

When she emerged on the other side, it was in the main hall of Atlantis, which gleamed and glittered majestically. This was Olivia's very first trip to the Atlantis base, and she found herself being very impressed with the city of the Ancients. It was so beautiful that it simply took her breath away.

Dr. Weir descended a grand staircase with Colonel Sheppard and a lean young woman dressed in tribal leathers.

"Dr. Weir," Sam said in greeting. She gestured at Olivia, Daniel, and Grace, and introduced each of them. "This is my team…well, this is about half of them, anyway."

"And you know Colonel Sheppard," Weir said. She gestured to the woman who stood with them and added, "This is Teyla Emmagan."

"I am very pleased to meet you," Teyla said with a polite nod of her head. The warm smile she had made Olivia like her immediately.

"We're all very happy to see you guys," Sheppard told them. He nodded in approval at one of the rail gun cannons that was being hauled through the gate. "Especially the Marines, who I see have brought some pretty cool toys."

"How far are the Wraith?" Sam asked.

"Not very far at all," Sheppard replied grimly. "They're here, in the system. They've already taken out an Ancient defense satellite that Rodney managed to get working again, but not before the satellite took out one of the Wraith ships."

"Whoa, that's great!" Olivia blurted out. "One down already, right?"

Sheppard just shook his head dismally at her. "But that still leaves two Wraith Hive ships bearing down on us. The attack from the satellite has made them gun-shy, but, trust me, they're still coming. We're expecting to be attacked at any time, now."

Bobby, who overheard Sheppard, came over just then and said, "Guess the sooner we set up the anti-aircraft batteries, the better. Lieutenant Colonel Robert Lyman, USMC."

"Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, Air Force," he said, as they shook hands. "Come with me, I know a good place for us to talk about the defense set up."

"Excuse me," Dr. Weir said, as she pointed at special crates that were being carefully hauled throught he gate. "But are those nukes?"

"Yes, Doctor," Sam confirmed. "To aid in the destruction of the base, should it fall to the Wraith."

Weir looked as though she didn't like that at all. Yet before she could voice her objections, Sam added, "You stated in your report that the Wraith know that Atlantis is the gateway to Earth, Doctor Weir."

"That is why they are attacking us," Teyla confirmed.

"Then we must make sure they don't come through the gate after us," Sam said firmly. "Should things go badly, of course."

"Because, God knows, Earth is having enough of trouble right now even without the Wraith," Daniel said with a weary exhale of breath.

"Why don't we all adjourn to the conference room?" Weir suggested. "We'll be able to discuss this better there."

As they walked up the steps, Olivia fell into step beside Teyla. "Just what we need," Olivia said, "another alien race out to conquer Earth. Just wish these intergalactic egomaniacs would stop trying to take us over!"

"Oh, the Wraith to not seek to conquer you," Teyla said. "They see Earth as being new feeding ground for them."

"Jeez! They want to eat us?" Olivia said with alarm. "It really just keeps getting better, you know? I mean, just when you think things can't get any worse, they do!"

"I've been living on Atlantis for some time, now," Teyla said, as she flashed Olivia another of her warm smiles. "And believe me, Olivia, I know exactly what you mean!"

SG-1: SVU

Once the last of the Marines headed for Atlantis were through, Walter shut down the stargate.

"Well," O'Neill said, with a glance at his watch, "all we can do now is wait."

An anxious-looking Camille just nodded as they stood in the control room. "They say that the waiting's the hardest part."

"When I was in the field," O'Neill started to say, but he was interrupted by the klaxon, which sounded once the gate began to dial by itself.

"Incoming traveler!" Walter called out.

"Close the iris," O'Neill ordered. "You know the routine, keep it shut until we know who it is."

The gate turned on behind the sealed iris. Walter glanced at a computer screen, which flashed information at him. "It's Jacob Carter, sir! His IDC checks out!"

"Thank God," O'Neill said with relief. "Open the iris."

Once the iris opened, O'Neill smiled as he waited in anticipation for his old friend to come through the gate. But his smile instantly faded at the sight of the being that did emerge from the event horizon.

Clad in long, flowing robes, the figure held a large staff in one hand. His face was as white as freshly fallen snow and his eyes…his eyes glowed a hellish red.

"Shut down the gate," O'Neill told Walter. While the sergeant busied himself with that task, the general leaned into the microphone and ahouted, "Guards, secure that prisoner!"

Within an instant, the security airmen stationed in the gate room obeyed O'Neill's order, and six automatic weapons were all aimed at the robed man who stood on the ramp. But the thing that was Jacob Carter continued to merely stand there with a serene look on his face.

"That's him, that's Jacob Carter," Camille said, as she stared in horror at the man who stood on the ramp. "What, in God's name, happened to him?"

"I don't know," O'Neill replied. He was equally stunned and repulsed at the transformation that had occurred to Jacob. "But, whatever the hell caused this, I'm pretty sure God had nothing to do with it!"

"Hallowed be the Ori," the thing that was once Jacob Carter intoned, his voice echoing off the walls of the gate room.

To be continued...