The Sun On The Horizon, Book Three, N'Has'y

by CapriceSesh

Fleeing conflict between Ba'al and Anubis, Daniel falls amongst a nomadic clan. Still lost and far from home, he is granted the chance to rest, heal and explore.

10. Chapter 10: Kemyt and Abdjeu

THE SUN ON THE HORIZON

BOOK THREE, N'HAS'Y

CHAPTER TEN

KEMYT AND ABDJEU

---

EARTH

COLORADO SPRINGS

Catherine Langford put the finishing touches to the birthday cake and slid it into the picnic hamper. Silver goblets and a bottle of sparkling wine finished off Ernest's birthday lunch.

'Ernest, are you ready? Did you find the blanket?' she called.

He appeared in the hallway, dressed for Colorado's chill autumn. 'Ready,' he said, sparse as ever with words.

'Well, good. Off we go then.'

He took the basket, she picked up the car keys, and they were ready for another birthday picnic: an enjoyable habit they'd practiced since their marriage six years ago. Regrettably, this time it was just the two of them. Last time, Catherine's birthday, had been celebrated with Daniel, Jack, Sam, Teal'c and George. But this year… she sighed. Daniel was lost amongst the stars, Jack, Teal'c and Sam had been offworld months now, searching for him, and George had declined the invitation – although he had sent a lovely hamper.

Ernest opened the front door and jumped at the sight of a young woman marching up the path toward them. Uncomfortable with strangers since his return to Earth, he stepped aside and let Catherine greet the visitor.

'Doctor Langford, Doctor Littlefield? I'm Merrie Stern. I met you at your presentation in New York last year. I do apologise for disturbing you both at home.' She pushed unruly black curls out of her eyes and smiled at them.

'How do you do, is it Ms Stern?'

'Professor, actually. I teach at UCLA. I believe Doctor Daniel Jackson is an acquaintance of yours?'

'Daniel? Yes, he is – a very good friend. In fact, we think of him as a son.'

'I need to get something to him. I'm going to Peru on a dig for the next year, and I really must hand these journals to him before I go, but I can't seem to contact him anywhere. His phone and mail are all forwarded to a rather unhelpful Air Force man.' She paused for breath. 'Do you know where Daniel is?'

'Daniel is away,' Catherine said, the truth making her throat tight. 'He's not been able to give us a date when he will return.'

'I see.' Professor Stern looked down at the carry bag she held. 'Doctor Jackson spoke so highly of you both in New York, and I daren't leave these at home in case he returns before I do and thinks I've absconded with them.'

Catherine ushered her inside and they followed her into the sitting room.

'These journals belonged to Doctor Jackson's father. I wonder—could I impose and ask you and Doctor Littlefield to safe-guard them for Doctor Jackson?'

'Why of course, Professor Stern.' Catherine accepted the bag with reverence. 'I know how deeply Daniel will treasure these. We'll give them to him as soon as he comes home.'

'Oh, thank you, that will be a weight off my mind. I must run, now. Thank you both, so much.'

They waved her off then returned to their study where Catherine locked the journals in their fire-proof safe.

'There's a nice picnic spot on the road to Cheyenne Mountain,' Ernest said.

Catherine smiled and hugged her husband. 'How clever you are, my dear.'

Å

SECOND STAR TO THE RIGHT

SS SPACEMONKEY

They parked Spacemonkey out in the empty black of space, far from anywhere. For two hours they crawled into every nook and cranny, pried up removable panels and those that weren't, gathering a bewildering array of trackers, listening and recording bugs. The Carters rigged up a controlled EMP to sweep the outer hull of any foreign attachments out of their reach. Aris Boch proved himself useful with a number of gadgets that let them track any alien devices, both passive and those transmitting a signal.

Jack dropped his fifth tracker into the collection bucket. Teal'c pulled his zat and vaporised the lot of them.

'I believe that's all there is to find, O'Neill,' Boch said.

'EMP worked too, sir,' Carter said. She had globs of engine grease in her hair and a satisfied look on her face. 'We should be clear.'

'Good job. Go get cleaned up. Teal'c, let's get moving.'

'To which destination, O'Neill?' Teal'c slid into the pilot's chair, and warmed up the big red control ball.

'Back to Abydos.' Jack looked at his motley crew. 'Were not giving up. We'll have a rethink, contact Hammond, come up with the next step.'

'Now we know a bit more about this attack on Ba'al,' Jacob said, 'I'll contact the Tok'ra, see if they tracked the battle were Daniel was lost.'

Boch cleared his throat noisily.

'Something on your mind?' Jack pinned him with a glare.

'There was a ship, took off just before we did.'

'Yes, there was.' Jack hadn't missed it, but Boch actually mentioning it surprised him.

'It was a bounty hunter. Cirian Kacha. She's good. Not as good as me, mind you, but competent.'

'Ba'al's put another bounty on Daniel?' Jack ground his molars. Last thing he needed was a pack of hired guns on Daniel's trail.

'Cirian is more a specialised tracker. She doesn't usually go for the general hunts.' Boch braced himself as Spacemonkey shifted into hyperspace. 'Smooth. Ba'al's engineers know what they're doing. She's a lone operator, O'Neill. And she owes me a favour. Maybe I can get her on our side.'

'Maybe.' Jack wasn't going to hold his breath on that.

Å

N'HAS'Y

KEMYT CITY

'Hold!'

The shout had barely left Daniel's lips before it was taken up and repeated through the ranks of workers surrounding him. He hobble-hopped past the crews straining on the guide ropes – twenty men and women apiece – and knelt awkwardly on the newly constructed plinth.

Twenty-seven days of meetings, arguments, planning, drawing up drafts, assembling workers, overseeing the construction of the plinth, and removal of the Stargate from the library wall – barely a brick dislodged, he was proud to say – with heavy haulage equipment drawn in from upriver, sleepless nights spent imagining every possible contingency alternating with crushing moments of doubt about whether he should even try to connect the 'gate to the galactic network, interspersed with odd moments of sheer panic that Ba'al would turn up right now before they could dial out for help, sprinkled with surprised pauses when he realised just what it was he and the enthusiastic N'Hasians were doing…

It all came down to this moment.

The Stargate hung from the elegant crane erected in the square, surrounded by the academic and archival buildings. Daniel's euphoria at discovering the Stargate in the library's wall had barely faded since that early morning. When the Elder Council realised he hadn't gone nuts, and Daniel had dissuaded them from firing it up then and there – and probably punching a matching hole in the other side of the building – everyone eagerly set to the task.

Scientists and engineers of all persuasion had flocked to offer their knowledge and to absorb whatever Daniel could impart to them. He'd been apprehensive in those first chaotic days that he'd lose touch with his Clan, but that had swiftly faded; they were all here and had been with him every step of the way. Unrealised talents – on Daniel's part – were discovered. Trettish the gardener was a former engineer, Safia held qualifications in physics, Ayshal a talented astronomer.

While a group of clever people worked on a way to power the Stargate, based on Daniel's somewhat limited knowledge, and curators and scholars from many disciplines searched for the DHD, Daniel worked in the square. The library structure was inspected, reinforced, then the Stargate was painstakingly removed. Every day, as more and more Clans arrived from far-country towns or nomadic paths, Daniel and his Clan constructed a rather beautiful stand from a granite-like stone of incredible strength, to bear the 'gate. All the while, Sabire was nearby, often serenading everyone with his music. It was a nice way to work.

And now, here they were. A metre separated the gleaming Stargate from its new home. Daniel raised one hand, lowered it fractionally. The 'gate dipped down. One centimetre at a time, it descended into its cradle.

'A little more,' he muttered, eyes darting from one side of the monolith to the other. The measurements ensured the 7th and 8th chevrons would not be swallowed by the cradle, but he had to be up close, to be sure. A slip, a cracked jewel and it would all be over. 'A little more.'

Trettish and chief engineer Reiner flanked him, measuring, calling instructions. The many hundreds of onlookers fell silent.

Ten centimetres. He reached up, cupped his hand over the inner track.

Five centimetres. The wind picked up, pushing the 'gate out of alignment by three millimetres. The guide rope foreman called out, directing the hands to haul in or slack off.

Three centimetres. Back on course.

Two centimetres. Steady.

One centimetre. Daniel curled his fingers inside the ring.

Zero. It slid home; the outer ring disappeared into the brace until the inner track was even with the top of the platform. The Stargate settled with a ground-deep thud. Done.

Perfectly supported, the ring sat solid and sure, as if it had always been there.

Daniel let out a shaky breath, swamped in a sudden rush of emotion. Home, home, home. He wanted to leap up and throw himself through the wormhole. That quickly faded in a rush of guilt. Belatedly, he realised people were cheering and ringing bells in a multi-toned celebration. The sounds blended and lifted up into the air, a joyous day to be remembered by all.

He pushed himself upright. 'Well done, everyone. Now for the hard part.'

Å

STRAIGHT ON TILL MORNING

SS SPACEMONKEY

The trip back to Abydos took days. They homed in on the pyramid and made planetfall in Nagada's early evening. Skaara, under Teal'c's tutelage, brought them in over the dunes toward the city, waggling the wings to show the watch guard on Nagada's gates there was nothing to fear. Cutting a wide arc around the city – he was not going to bury his market garden under piles of back-washed sand – Skaara settled the ship on the east side of the city.

'Thank you, Teal'c, for teaching me the ways of this vessel.'

'You are most welcome, Skaara. You are an adept pupil.' Teal'c bowed his head.

Skaara grinned and joined Seni and Tobay. They raced down the ramp, waving at the militia who were pouring out of the east gate. Jack hung back as the others left. Teal'c and Carter stayed with him, watching the reunion out on the sand.

'We'll find him, sir.'

'Indeed.' Teal'c sounded even more confident than Carter.

Jack shook off the gloom lurking in the back of his mind. 'Yes. We will.' He looked at them, really looked. Confidence, hope, determination; neither of them were about to give up on their teammate. Even though they still had no idea where Daniel was, the information they'd managed to uncover brought him closer to them, if in spirit only.

'Y'know.' Jack picked up his pack and headed out into the warm, spice-scented night air. 'I'm thinking we send Hammond some of Skaara's aunt's preserved toja berries. Keep him sweet. And off our backs…'

Å

N'HAS'Y

KEMYT CITY

One thing Daniel really liked about the Elder Council was they made decisions really quickly. Need to half demolish the national library to extract an alien gateway to other planets? Sure, how big a crane do you need? Need to engineer from scratch a power source to supply said alien gateway? How many people would you like? There were no committees, no costing proposals, no bickering over who owned/controlled/paid for anything. The Stargate was as much a part of N'Has'y as the land, the rivers or the air – therefore ownership and use belonged to everyone.

Kinsey would never get a job here. Daniel glanced admiringly at the Elders as they walked reverently around the Stargate, heads of a very long line of people come to inspect this fascinating new addition to their daily lives. The only person not entirely pleased with Daniel's discovery had been Vanesh, head librarian of the library which now sported an enormous hole in its side. He glanced over at the scaffolding propping up what had turned out to be a load-bearing wall, and the workers swarming around it. Which reminded him, he had to talk to her about that name. Library of Thoth, indeed.

'It is an object of great beauty, Daaniel.' Sabire stood next to him, surveying the 'gate with satisfaction. 'It gleams as if newly made, and not a thing lost, found, moved and made a part of a building for so many hundreds of seasons.'

'That's the naquada, the mineral it's made from. Hardest and most durable element we've ever found.'

'When I touched it, it felt like a living thing.'

'Yes, they're all like that. Buried in the wall it felt cold, but once we got it out here in the sun, it… came alive almost.' Daniel paused. 'Something I've never really considered before. I wonder if the Gatebuilders incorporated some kind of photovoltaic system in the 'gates. Must remember to ask Sam.'

'She of the hair of gold. I look forward to meeting her, Daaniel. And all your Earthy friends.'

Daniel looked down at his feet, suddenly overwhelmed. 'I can't believe this is actually happening, Sabire. I've been disconnected from everything I knew for so long, and then the Clan and you made me so welcome. I felt like I belonged here. And now, everything is changing again. I hope—you don't think I'm abandoning you, that I used your hospitality just to fill in a gap until I could leave?'

Sabire gave a mighty snort of disbelief. 'Pah! Never have you used any of us, my little pale friend. The land of your birth is in your blood all your life, no matter where one journeys. Never regret leaving, never regret returning: this, my mother told me. And, as she also told me, she is always right.'

Daniel nodded. 'Mothers usually are.' He looked up at his friend. 'I haven't actually asked, Sabire, but will you come with me, visit the land of my birth and the land of my heart?' Taking Sabire to Abydos would be much easier than trying to get him out of Cheyenne Mountain.

Sabire puffed his chest out and straightened to his full height. Sombrely, he accepted. 'Daaniel, you give me the greatest honour. To place my humble feet upon your home lands will be the proudest moment of my life. May I bring my music with me? I would serenade your folk with our most appealing songs.' His expression suddenly crumpled. 'They do appreciate song, do they not? They—they do not all sing… like you?'

'Well, like most cultures we appreciate… Hey!' Daniel thwacked him on the arm as Sabire cracked up laughing.

'My apologies. I accept your invitation with much anticipation.' A genuinely serious frown creased his forehead. 'I do wonder, though, which words to use in greeting to your good people. We would not wish an unwisely spoken word to offend.'

'Well, the translation function of the Stargate will affect you, once you pass through it. It generally doesn't take long to establish a usable lexicon in travellers. But, until that happens I can coach you in a few standard greetings, ones that are acceptable to both the military and civilians on Earth, and there are some fascinating Abydonian customs…'

He pulled out his journal and began jotting notes. 'I can write out some guidelines. Anyone who comes with us will need to know some words, and a few customs, although the SGC is used to offworld visitors, but it would help so that they don't take us by surprise. Abydos has fewer formalities that could cause problems, well, as long as they don't try to marry you off to one of Kasuf's nieces, that is. Uh, I don't know who else will be coming with us. Does the Elder Council decide, or should I invite people?' He lifted his eyes from the journal and stared unseeing at the space in the centre of the Stargate. 'Oh, geez.'

'Daaniel?'

'I'm going home,' he said. Sudden constriction in his throat choked the words to a whisper. 'Everything could have changed. Jack, Teal'c, Sam…' Could be dead. Worse, they might have replaced him, and just got on with life without him. 'Ba'al or Anubis might have attacked Earth. There might not be anything to go back to.'

Sabire laid a large comforting hand on his shoulder. 'You think too wildly, Daaniel. What has happened is unchangeable. What stands before us will be a grand adventure. Do not encourage disaster by giving it voice.'

'Que sera, sera,' Daniel murmured. 'You're right. And we won't go anywhere unless we get the 'gate working.' He ran his eye over the Stargate: now solidly anchored in the plinth, N'Hasian scientists swarming around it connecting up the power conduits they had been working tirelessly to construct. He'd given them everything he knew about powering a Stargate without a DHD, from lightning to Kera's fusion fronds, to the enormous jumper leads the SGC used.

Ingeniously, they'd come up with their own version: more durable than the one-trip only lightning / frond attempts, less draining than the first SGC power-ups, which had browned out half of Colorado. The groove carved into the plinth contained a well of super-conductive fluid. When charged from a large generator nearby, it would power the entire Stargate. Hopefully. They'd soon know.

He looked up, around the square: at the beautiful, outlandish buildings; the groups of people working around the Stargate; the Elder Council seated under the shady trees, deep in discussion; at the Kendasai making their way through the crowd barriers bearing lunch and great pride at being hailed the Clan of Daaniel of Eart; and at the crowd happily camped out behind the barriers, fully equipped with deck chairs, sun umbrellas, coolers full of food, watching everything they did with unabashed enthusiasm. Some saw him look their way and waved and cheered. He grinned and waved back, causing a mini-riot as everyone waved, hooted and rang bells at him.

Daniel sighed. He stood at an all-too familiar crossroad, faced with leaving one life to start – or resume – another. This time it'll be different. I won't abandon them. He reaffirmed the decision he had gradually realised on the long journey through N'Has'y's sands. Unless he could return to this world he would not leave, and he would not let any of the N'Hasians take a one-way trip either. He knew what it was to be cut off from the land of your birth, or heart, and he would not let anyone else endure such pain.

Which brought them to their biggest problem. He and Sabire walked over to the Elder Council, who rose and invited them to sit. Daniel sank gratefully into a chair, his leg aching from the hours of hobbling around the Stargate.

'The work proceeds well, Daaniel?' asked Elder Constile.

'Yes, the Stargate sits in the plinth as if it has always belonged there. Everyone involved is to be commended.'

'Can we use it now, Daaniel?' asked Elder Koma.

'Uh, well, we probably can, once the science team complete their tests.' He looked at the earnest faces around him. 'But there is one thing we need before anyone can step through the Stargate.' He knew there had been a lot of discussion about the worlds at the other end of the Stargate, and that exploration parties had been forming all over the city.

'Continue, Daaniel,' Gramire nodded encouragingly.

'In order to connect the Stargate here to a 'gate on another world, we need the address of that world: six glyphs for the destination and the point of origin glyph.'

'These are the addresses you have given us?' Elder Constile gestured with her copy of the list he'd written out for them, all worlds the SGC had established as safe and friendly.

'That's correct. However, we cannot leave N'Has'y without discovering the address for this world. Without it, no one will be able to return.'

That caused a murmur of concern.

'Where is the address to this world, Daaniel?' Gransire asked.

'I don't know. We have a list, actually two lists, of addresses on Earth. Our exploration follows the process of picking an address, checking if the world is viable, then going through and matching the world to the address. We've only ever had to search for an address twice – and those were both recorded on very old historical artefacts. I've asked Librarian Lotha and Archivist Mheme to search for such an artefact, but they have not as yet found anything.'

'Is there no other place an address will be recorded?'

'There is. Every Stargate is supported by a machine, what we call the Dial Home Device, which engages an address into the Stargate's technology and activates the wormhole. We've found that each DHD bears the address of that world, allowing the occupants to travel away from – and back to – their world.'

Sam had made that discovery, years ago when she'd dived into the inner workings of the DHD on their second mission. They'd later theorised that Ra must have travelled the galaxy at some point, stopping at worlds with a Stargate and recording the address, thus amassing the enormous repository he'd found in the Abydos Cartouche Room.

'But, we have not found the device you described, Daaniel.'

'No, but we have a clue, a very good one. Each Stargate bears one symbol unique to the world it sits upon. All we need to do is find the address ending with N'Has'y's symbol. And I know where to look.'

Å

ABYDOS

NAGADA

Night fell swiftly and completely on Abydos. It was too dangerous to make the trip through shifting dunes to the pyramid until dawn returned the suns to the sky. With no disturbances reported, SG-1 and 2 settled down in guest quarters for dinner and some welcome rest. Kasuf listened intently to everything Jack and Skaara told him, one hand resting on his son's arm.

'This Ba'al – he is false, as was the shatal Ra?'

'Yes, father. He is Goa'uld.' Skaara sat cross-legged near the hearth fire. 'He uses Dan'yer for his own purpose, but now has lost Dan'yer out amongst the stars.'

'We'll keep looking, Kasuf.' Jack stretched his legs out, soaking up the warmth in Kasuf's home. Outside, in the open pathways between buildings, the desert night was crisply cold.

Kasuf nodded. 'When you find my Good Son, you will bring him here, to his home.' To Kasuf, Earth would never be Daniel's true home.

'Sure will.' Jack caught Skaara's eye and winked. A roar of laugher drifted out of a house nearby: Ferretti and the others unwinding. 'Think I'll catch some sleep. Night.'

Sleep was short-lived, and after an hour of lying awake listening to the mastages mumbling softly to themselves in a bier down the street, Jack rose and dressed. The sounds of the city surrounded him: a baby fretting, someone who sounded like Skaara crying out in a dream, a couple making noisy, giggling love.

He wandered through the city. Up on the ramparts, the night guard kept watch, for sandstorms more than anything these days. He strolled along the narrow streets, up and down mud-brick stairs, over hemp and wooden bridges. He really did love this place. There were no expectations here, just be fair, be happy. In the very rare moments when he thought of retirement, he fantasised living here. Daniel would, the moment he left the SGC. And Lou had all but put his house on the market.

The SGC Retirement Home. Kick back and grow old disgracefully. He hopped across a creaking bridge and up onto the ramparts, to find himself at the rear of the city. Dawn was just breaking over the hills far to the south. Jack watched as crags and gullies took shape in the growing light, still mysterious and promising interesting times for any willing explorer. The Abydonians had not ventured too far yet, from their home, apart from the long-range hunting parties that ventured out each cool season. Bet Daniel would enjoy exploring up there. Suddenly, he felt tired. Tired of fighting an unstoppable enemy, tired of losing friends and good soldiers, tired of battling the very people who should support them unquestioningly. Maybe it is time to retire. But, not quite yet.

'Jack.' Skaara's soft call announced his presence.

'Hey, kido.'

'The desert is beautiful in the dawn light.'

'Yeah. What do you say we take Daniel on an exploration of those mountains? Could be fun.'

Skaara cocked his head. 'You would leave the comfort of the city to sleep on the ground, be burned to a husk by the sun, freeze your man-ness off at night?'

'Sure! It'll be great. We do it all the time on Earth.'

'Your race is very strange.' He shook his head, still an odd sight without the long braids. 'I have told Dan'yer this many times.'

'Yeah, but you love us.'

'That I do.'

Jack grinned, but it quickly faded. 'I don't know where to look for him now,' he admitted. 'How do you find one man in a whole galaxy?'

'I have thought on this, Jack. Klorel had few dealings with Ba'al, but there were two places of neutrality where system lords would meet. Perhaps we will find something there.'

'It's worth a try. We'll have some breakfast, if the others ever wake up, then go talk to Hammond.' With some kind of a positive plan to present to the general, hopefully they would avoid orders to return to Earth, orders Jack had no intention of following.

Å

N'HAS'Y

KEMYT CITY

Daniel couldn't remember ever being this nervous, not even at his wedding, which technically had been their second wedding because he'd sort of missed the first one…

He stood thirty feet from the Stargate, flanking the scientists who monitored the generator and power conductors snaking over to the plinth. To one side stood Sabire, unusually sombre or perhaps too excited to talk. To his left stood Gramire and Gransire, Gramire clutching Daniel's hand with a death grip. Behind them stood the Elder Council and the Kendasai. Behind them – probably half the planet's population by now had jammed themselves into every available window, rooftop, tree and spaces in between to watch the first moment of interplanetary contact.

'Here goes.' He nodded to the two diallers, Shanti and Kinkala, winners of the lottery to be the first to spin the inner ring.

Shanti and Kinkala pushed and pulled respectively. The ring moved easily, as if it had never lain dormant for centuries. The glyphs sailed past the topmost chevron – the dialling engagement chevron – until Auriga appeared.

'Hold!' Daniel called.

There was a second's pause then the lower left chevron clunked up and down, its crystal glowed red: confirmed.

'Okay. Next.'

Majestically, the inner ring circled again and again as one by one each glyph in Earth's address was locked into place. Finally, the last, the unique symbol that looked like a curly capital M, was locked into the top chevron.

Heartbeat pounding madly in his ears, Daniel called out. 'That's it. Clear the area. Remember – no one move until I say. The wormhole will vaporise anything and anyone in its path.'

Shanti and Kinkala scuttled past them, huge grins on their faces. Warning whistles rang out from the scientists. Daniel checked three times that everyone was stationary and well clear of the washback zone, then nodded to Binish. 'Release the power burst.'

Equivalent to pressing the centre crystal on a DHD, they released a measured surge of power into the plinth well. Energy flooded into the Stargate.

Gramire and Sabire gripped him so hard he'd have bruises tomorrow.

Daniel stopped breathing.

With a grinding, whooshing explosion, a wormhole formed in the centre of the Stargate. Excess energy boiled out toward them, then was sucked backwards before settling down into a beautiful blue pond, casually rippling.

The air crackled with ozone. Every hair on Daniel's body was standing upright. He opened his mouth, gasped a breath.

They're still there. A viable wormhole connected N'Has'y to Earth. Their Stargate was still there; chances were the SGC and the rest of the planet was too. Unconsciously, he inched forward. The need to just go, run, throw himself into that cold blue embrace was frightening. And get splattered on the iris, if you do. There was a long way to go yet.

'Well, that worked!' he said brightly. He waved to the engineers set up behind a battery of radio equipment. His hand was shaking. He tucked it into his pocket and limped over to them.

'We are broadcasting on the first frequency, Daaniel,' said the chief operator, Elash.

'Thank you.' He cleared his throat. Switched to English. 'This is Doctor Daniel Jackson, calling SGC niner. Come in please…'

Å

EARTH

SGC, COLORADO SPRINGS

'Unscheduled off-world activation.'

Master Sergeant Natasha Sullivan's voice followed the alarm blaring through the mid-morning bustle of the SGC. The Gateroom blast doors rumbled shut and the frontline defence team took up their positions, weapons at the ready.

Hammond walked into the briefing room and stared down at the Stargate. The iris remained firmly closed. He waited another moment, frowned, then moved briskly down the stairs into the control room.

'What do we have, sergeant?'

'Um, nothing, sir.' Sullivan puzzled over the unresponsive instruments in front of her. 'We're not picking up any IDC, no video or audio transmissions either.'

'Who do we have off-world, currently?'

'SG-7 is on a trade negotiation with SG-9, they're due back tomorrow. SG-11, SG-15, SG-8 and SG-5 all left on missions yesterday and all have reported in on schedule. They're not due back till tomorrow and Friday. SG-18 and SG-17 are due in this evening; all their reports so far have not indicated trouble. That just leaves SG-1 and SG-2.' Who could be anywhere and in any kind of trouble.

George let out a thoughtful sigh. If any of his people were in trouble and had no access to their GDOs they wouldn't bother trying to dial home. They had half a dozen safe sites established on other planets, where a team in trouble could either gate to and use the buried supplies while waiting to contact home, or merely use as a turnaround point and gate out to another safe hole or friendly planet, or even the Alpha Site, depending on who was on their heels. Odds then were it wasn't one of their own.

'Could be a random dialler.' A lot of people lived on planets with Stargates. It might be someone doing some cold-calling and got lucky. Or someone who had Earth's address.

'We haven't registered any impact on the iris, general.' Technician Batey called from the rear monitors.

The hiss of open radio channels filled the room. After ten minutes people began shifting restlessly. The guards in the Gateroom didn't relax, George was pleased to see.

The minutes ticked by. The wormhole stayed active, blue light leaked around the edges of the iris, reflected off the back wall.

'Coming up to 38 minutes, sir.'

Exactly on the 38 minute mark, the wormhole collapsed. The guards stood at ease. George grunted. Odd, but he'd take an odd occurrence over one that ended in blood and destruction any day.

'Log it, sergeant.'

'Yes, sir.'

George headed back upstairs, the incident filed in the curious basket in his brain. He had seven reports to sign off on before 17 and 18 came home that afternoon.

Å

N'HAS'Y

KEMYT CITY

Daniel tried not to let disappointment take a hold. Finding the exact frequency, or any frequency that matched those used on Earth, with completely alien equipment, was going to take time. Still, he'd hoped.

'Daaniel! Come, sit in the shade and take some tea.' Ayshal ushered him away from the radio banks set up under an awning that looked like a circus tent. He followed her over to the grassy garden in the centre of the square where most of the Clan had settled. Chairs, lounges and cushions were grouped under the trees. Heavenly scents rose from tables piled with food. He accepted a steaming cup of tea and a jellied bun.

'How long will it take to talk to your family, Daaniel?' Teni skipped up to him, and sat cross-legged in the grass at his feet.

'I don't know, Teni. The radios here are very different to what we have on Earth. We have to find the wavelength that matches what we use at home, then a frequency that someone on the other end is listening to.' Without an SGC issue radio, he was fumbling in the etheric dark. Sam could have matched up the radio waves in a heartbeat. For a selfish moment he wished she'd been brought with him. But, no. Soon – very soon – they'd see each other again.

'Why don't you try again?' she asked, mouth full of Jacuna's pastries.

'We will, in a little while. You see, a lot of other people use the Stargate on Earth, and while we're connected to it nobody else can be. So we'll wait an hour between each try.'

Teni cocked her head and nodded. 'That is fair. Do you think I could come with you, Daaniel? I would wish to see a new world. I'm sure mother will say yes,' she rushed on, batting her eyes for good measure.

He chuckled. 'Probably. Once we make sure it is safe.' He could talk Kasuf and Skaara into accepting some tourist parties. Having the N'Hasians interact with the Abydonians would do both cultures some good. Possibly, even encourage some of his adopted people to venture off-world themselves. After what had happened to Sha're and Skaara, no one had even attempted to explore away from their planet.

Å

EARTH

SGC, LEVEL 28, CONTROL ROOM

The Stargate came alive twice more, in a pattern of every 52 minutes after the last connection disengaged.

Each time the caller remained mute and unknown. By the third time, Hammond authorised an attempt at contact from their end.

Off-rota SG teams wandered in and out of the control room, offering opinions or suggestions.

From the mystery caller, there was no reply.

Å

ABYDOS

NAGADA

Jack and Skaara strolled around Nagada's ramparts together in the warming dawn sun. He'd never really appreciated just how large the city was, but from up here he could see the thousands of homes crammed within the outer walls. People were already moving through streets threaded haphazardly between the homes. Smoke from dung cooking fires drifted lazily past the upper stories, and caught, wraith-like in the hemp rope bridges. Mastages grumbled and farted as they were tended and made ready for the day's work.

They ended up on the high guard towers over the main gates when the first sun was already well up over the horizon. The militia on guard acknowledged them both, and one rang the huge signal bell, announcing the end of night and start of a peaceful day. Jack peered down, watching the gates as they were opened to allow the workers out into the market gardens. Two familiar figures stood by the furthest gate, trading greetings with the passers-by.

'Morning, kids.'

Teal'c and Carter looked up. 'Morning, sir. Sleep well?' Carter replied.

'So-so.' He swung onto the ladder and climbed down. 'I'm going to go report in.'

'We shall accompany you, O'Neill.' Teal'c inclined his head in greeting.

Jack thought about telling them to stay and rest while they could, but he accepted the offered company gratefully. He knew they were getting very near the day when Hammond would order them home. They'd already been gone from the SGC far longer than he had either wanted or expected to be granted the leeway for. The rest of the team leaders were doing their best to cover SG-1 and 2's missions, but eventually the bean counters would start to complain in earnest and Hammond would have to order them home. He'd send Ferretti and his kids – unwillingly, for sure – but Jack was really dreading the day when he faced the choice of obeying orders to give up the hunt, or not… He knew in his heart which way he'd go.

He pulled his cap out of his pocket and slapped it on, added sunglasses, and headed out through the gardens. Carter and Teal'c fell in behind him, chatting amiably with Skaara about the progress of his crops. The trek to the pyramid would take a good hour: more than enough time to formulate an argument for Hammond.

By the time they made the ramp at the base of the pyramid, the first sun had been joined by the second, and both were giving the members of SG-1 a good roasting. Jack flapped his shirt against his damp skin and pushed determinedly up the ramp. The dark coolness inside swallowed them like a welcoming embrace.

Through the columned Hypostyle Hall, their footsteps echoed around them, awakening memories of another, desperate time: sudden, deadly fighting around the enormous pillars, of an eager boy daring to stand up against everything he'd been taught, a spunky girl fighting for a love she'd barely realised, of a gutsy, stubborn young man determined to save everyone because it was right…

The Stargate stood where it always had, silent and looking innocent of the power it actually held. The four militia members on guard duty greeted them cheerily and gathered to watch with interest as Jack punched in the coordinates for Earth. The wormhole refused to engage. The chevrons powered down with the familiar whine of a busy signal.

Jack frowned and checked his watch – kept faithfully to Mountain Standard Time. It was 1138 hours. SGC routine generally kept team departures and arrivals to early morning and late afternoon, thus keeping the 'gate clear for emergencies.

'We'll give it a few minutes and try again.'

Å

N'HAS'Y

KEMYT CITY

Daniel was getting hoarse. Sabire and others had offered to take over, but he held out for the moment, wanting, needing to make that first contact himself.

They'd cycled into yet another bandwidth on the fourth dial-in. A few minutes of teeth grinding static poured from the huge speakers, then with a sudden blare that made everyone jump, music drowned out Daniel's voice. He turned, thinking someone in the crowd had lost interest and started their own entertainment.

…point me, in the direction of, Albuquerque…

A man's light tenor rose above the voices of those around him. Daniel kept turning until he was staring at the speakers. I want to get home, help me get home… He stared as if the speakers had morphed into a floppy-haired, bell-bottomed 1970s pop idol. The song ended and launched into The Beatle's Rain.

'Oh, god, that's… er… that's a radio!' He blinked at the radio technicians who were looking dubious. 'Well, obviously, it's a radio. I mean it's Earth radio, a commercial broadcast. It must be, I don't know, FM or AM bandwidth, and I don't know what the equivalent here is, but we're getting closer! I think…'

'Do you wish to attempt contact with these singing persons, Daaniel?'

'Oh, no, it's a recording, they're not singing live.' And breaking into a commercial radio frequency would kind of blow the whole secret military program thing. He peered over the technician's shoulder. 'If I remember my old radio, there's AM, FM, then short wave bands aren't too far away.' He broke off, willing the song to end. Finally it did, and the announcer came on, prattling through a couple of ads and special deals.

'Okay, it's a great day outside, the temperature's hitting 77 degrees, and no rain in sight. This one's for all you lovers, on KACL 104.3 FM…'

'Yes! Cycle lower on this frequency, and you should get into the shortwave band.' Daniel clutched the back the chair. The music faded out, others rose and fell as they passed through different stations, until static filled the air again, but this time it was streaked with howls and squeals. Daniel grabbed the microphone and began calling again. 'This is Doctor Daniel Jackson…'

No response.

They changed frequency and tried again.

And again.

And again.

'This is Doctor Daniel Jackson, calling SGC niner, does anybody hear me?'

A voice, deep and full of disapproving authority leaped out of the speakers at him. 'Be advised, this frequency is reserved for military use. Please discontinue your call, AORC NORAD, over.'

'Wait! Mayday, mayday!' Daniel blurted the first thing that came to mind, rising from some long forgotten conversation with Jack. Nobody in authority was allowed to ignore a Mayday call. 'I'm trying to reach General George Hammond, US Air Force, commanding Project Green Book.' He'd never had cause to use the SGC's code name before, but surprisingly, it came to his tongue when he needed it.

'State the nature of your mayday.' The man's voice was so clear, he could be just feet away.

'My name's Daniel Jackson. I'm a civilian consultant, seconded to the Air Force. I'm 'in country', separated from my unit and behind enemy lines.' He cringed a little, knowing he sounded like a John Wayne movie character. 'I've been trying frequencies at random. Please, please don't disconnect me. I need to speak to anyone from the SGC. If you're at NORAD, you should know where it is. Please, sir, I need your help.'

There was a horrible beat of silence. Then the man was back, a sliver of sympathy softening the military tone. 'Very well, Doctor Jackson. Hold your line open.' There was a background mutter of voices, feet walking away…

Someone pushed him into a chair. A glass of water appeared in the hand not clutching the microphone. He drank it all in one gulp.

A minute passed. The voice returned, startling him even though he'd been straining to hear it. 'Doctor Jackson?'

'I'm here! Yes!'

'We've been advised General Hammond will talk to you. He's on his way. Can you wait?'

'Oh, thank you, thank you, yes, I'll wait. What's your name, by the way?'

'Uh, you can call me Doug.' Probably those monitoring reserved frequencies didn't give out their full name and rank.

'Thank you, Doug. You don't know what this means to me.'

'Hope you get home okay.'

'So do I,' he whispered.

'The general is here. Handing you over.'

'Hello?' Daniel's voice was croaking, his throat tight with a dozen emotions.

'This is General Hammond.' The familiar gruff voice reached across the galaxy and wrapped him in the familiar comfort of home.

'Sir?' He cleared his throat, tried again. 'General—'

'Doctor Jackson? Daniel?' George's voice rose from disbelief to delight in three simple words.

'Yes, sir. It's me.' Daniel gasped.

The hiss of the short wave radio went dead as the Stargate reached its 38 minute window and snapped off.

Å

N'HAS'Y

KEMYT CITY, STARGATE SQUARE

'No! No, no, no, no! Ow!' Daniel leapt off his chair, jigging up and down in utter frustration. Pain spiked through his leg, forcing calm. 'Don't lose that frequency!'

'It is noted and held, Daaniel.'

'Daaniel, those people you spoke to – that was your Clan?' The Elder Council had rushed over, behind them everyone was on their feet, craning to hear.

'Not my Clan, exactly. Well, I guess the general is. Yes, they were.' He turned away from more questions and called out to the 'gate diallers. 'Kinkala, Shanti, please dial again.'

The couple leapt at the ring and began the slow haul. Daniel felt completely surreal. George. He'd been talking to George Hammond. In Cheyenne Mountain. On Earth. Clutching the microphone like a lifebuoy, he counted the engaged chevrons; five, six, seven. Shanti and Kinkala dived aside, the activation surge went zapping along the conduits… and the Stargate whined, powering down, the chevrons winked out. Every face in the square turned to look at him.

Of all the luck. At this exact moment…

'Busy signal.'

Å

ABYDOS

PYRAMID OF THE FALSE GOD

This was getting ridiculous. Three failed dial-ins. He'd held off for an hour, then and tried again. And got another busy signal.

'The Tau'ri Stargate may be under attack, O'Neill,' Teal'c said with inscrutable calm.

'Busy for over 38 minutes would suggest something extraordinary is going on, sir.' Carter was sitting on the steps at the side of the Stargate, thoughtfully fingering her P-90. 'An attack, or mass-evacuation from somewhere off-world. Or they're evaccing the base…' She finally looked up and caught his pointed glare. 'Or they could be doing maintenance on the 'gate…'

No way was the SGC under attack without him there to help. Not gonna happen. Jack stabbed the DHD with two fingers, punching in Earth's address yet again, and mashed the centre crystal.

Å

EARTH

SGC, LEVEL 0, FINAL BASE CHECKPOINT

The news had spread like wildfire. Through the corridors, labs, offices, ready rooms, gyms, armouries, quatermaster's stores, up to the mess and living quarters: as General Hammond had run up to NORAD, the word spread close behind him. Daniel Jackson had made contact.

Bill Lee had just returned to base with Nyan after a quick trip to town for some reference works and lunch. They could feel the buzz in the air as they signed in and joined three others at the elevators by Checkpoint Alpha.

'Corporal, what's going on?'

Corporal Harris favoured them with a grin. 'General Hammond just blew through here like his tail was on fire. Word is, Doctor Jackson has made contact.'

'You're kidding!'

'No, sir. Looks like the Doctors here picked the right time to drop by.'

Bill finally looked at the others as they moved into the elevator. 'Doctor Langford, Doctor Littlefield! How nice to see you again.'

'Doctor Lee, Nyan.' Catherine Langford smiled at them both. 'The corporal has kindly offered to escort us to the briefing room.'

Bill and Nyan tagged along, changing elevators and passing security stations all the way down to level 27. Every hall and office they passed they saw people standing by doorways, gossip and speculation filling the air with an excited hum.

The briefing room was already crowded with SG teams and Daniel's staff. Bill saw the doctors to a seat and edged closer to the open intercom on the table, where they could hear what was happening in the control room below.

'Unscheduled off-world activation.'

The Stargate lit up and spun, the iris swirled shut.

Everyone held their breath.

'Receiving IDC,' Sergeant Sullivan announced. 'SG-1 confirmed. Opening the iris.'

A sigh of disappointment ran through the room.

'SGC niner, this is SG-1 niner, come in.' The familiar voice of Jack O'Neill echoed up the stairs.

There were a few mutterings amongst the members of SG-3.

'SG-1, this is the SGC, we read you, colonel.'

'Let me talk to Hammond. And what's going on over there? We've been getting busy signals for hours.'

'Yes, sir. There's no cause for alarm, sir. Patching you through to General Hammond.'

'Hammond.' The general was curt, but those who knew him could hear the excitement behind those words.

'O'Neill, sir. We're back on Abydos. All personnel safe and accounted for. Regret to inform you we were unable to extract Daniel.'

'Jack—'

'He was gone by the time we got to Ba'al's planet, but we have a couple of ideas where to look next.'

'Jack, it's—'

'We're not giving up, sir. I don't care what the JCS say—'

'Colonel!'

'Sir?'

'Jack,' Hammond's tone gentled. 'The reason you kept getting a busy signal is Doctor Jackson was attempting to contact us. And he finally did.'

Silence filled the channel from Abydos. For a moment.

'What?'

'I talked to Daniel, colonel. He's alive.'

'Daniel? He contacted you? Where is he? Is he still being held by Ba'al's Jaffa? What are his coordinates.'

'Colonel, one thing at a time. I didn't get any details. The connection timed out. We were expecting him to redial when you called in.'

'Oh, for—I'm coming through.'

'Negative, colonel. I want you to hold on Abydos. You may be in a better position to reach Doctor Jackson from there. Stand by, I'll contact you as soon as we hear from Daniel again.'

'I… yes, sir. And—tell him…'

'I will, Jack.'

'Abydos out.'

Å

N'HAS'Y

KEMYT CITY, STARGATE SQUARE

They waited ten nail-biting minutes, then dialled again, and this time the wormhole connected. Through the crackle of static, Daniel called out. 'Daniel Jackson calling General Hammond.'

'Hammond here, Daniel. I—how are you, son?'

'General! I'm fine, I'm alive, free… It's so good to hear your voice, sir. How is everyone? Sam – is Sam okay?' His last glimpse of her, she'd been unconscious on the ground.

'Major Carter is fine, son. Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c too. They've been hunting for you all over.'

'Really?' His knees were getting wobbly for some reason. He sank into his chair.

'They haven't stopped since the day you were taken, Daniel. In fact, I just talked to Jack.'

'Jack… Is he there, can I talk to him?'

'He's off-world at the moment.'

'Oh, on a mission?'

'It's a long story. First, tell me where you are, what's your situation? Can you talk freely?'

'Yes, yes I can, general. I escaped Ba'al's Jaffa, so to speak. I'm on a planet called N'Has'y, with good, good people. I'd give you the code for not being under duress, but I can't for the life of me remember it.'

'That's all right. I'd like you to dial into the Alpha Site, Doctor. I'll have SG-3 meet you there and they can bring you home.'

'Uh, yeah, I can't do that, sir, not just yet.'

Hammond's cool voice held a thread of tension. 'Why is that?'

'Sir, the planet I'm on… the people have had no contact with anyone off-world since they were transplanted from Earth millennia ago. I only found their Stargate by accident. I'm concerned that Ba'al might track me here. They'd be defenceless against him. We haven't found the DHD, so I have no idea what this planet's address is. If I leave, I won't be able to come back. And,' he dragged in a breath. He looked up at the sea of rapt faces around him, hanging on every incomprehensible word he said. 'They want to come with me. They want to explore the galaxy too.'

'I see. Exactly how much do they know?'

Daniel could picture the disapproving frown settling on Hammond's brow.

'About the SGC; nothing, sir. About their own history, the Goa'uld who transplanted their ancestors, the Goa'uld in general, other planets and cultures; everything I could tell them.' He rushed on before the general's natural inclination for reprimand took over. 'Sir, they had an Al'kesh full of dead Jaffa and symbiotes crash down on top of them. They nursed me back to health. They saved my life, in more ways than I can say. They've given up their normal lives to help me get home. I owe them, sir. And, I think you'll find we have a very valuable new ally.'

It took him a moment to recognise the sound coming out the speakers was Hammond's gruff chuckle. 'You've been working your magic again, Daniel?'

'Uh, I guess so, sir. Sorry. No, no I'm not. It's the least I can do. Sir, wait till you meet them. They're good people.' Please… He didn't want to use bribery, but he'd decided long ago that he wouldn't leave N'Has'y shut off from the galaxy.

'Alright. What can we do, Doctor?'

Daniel grinned. George really was a softy under all that brass. 'I have the Point of Origin. We just need to find an address with a matching denominator. It must be on the Abydos collection, I know I've seen it before. Once you find it, you dial us up and—' I can come home. His hands filled in the last words for him.

'Okay, hold on a moment, I'll have a line connected to the control room – I'm still up in NORAD.'

'Yes, sir.' As he pulled out his journal, Daniel glanced up, taking in the concerned faces hovering over him. Of course, they hadn't understood any of that.

He switched languages. 'It's okay. Everyone at home is fine. They are going to look for N'Has'y's address.' Brilliant smiles lit up in response.

'Doctor Jackson? You're on relay to the control room.' A woman's voice came through the speakers.

'Oh, hi everyone!'

A cacophony of calls, cheers and whistles nearly blew out the speakers. Daniel blinked; a sheepish smile crept across his face. 'Guess we have an audience. Uh, okay, I've lost track of the time, so before the wormhole closes we need to find a gate address with a PoO denominator that looks like a capital letter M, with a curl on the right downward stroke. I know I've seen it before, it has to be in the database.'

'Acknowledged, Doctor Jackson.' Was that Sergeant Sullivan? Yes.

'We'll get looking, Daniel,' Hammond replied. 'Give us an hour, if we haven't contacted you by then, dial us up and we'll discuss our options.'

'Yes, sir. Thank you, thank you all. I—I'm looking forward to seeing you.'

'Likewise, Doctor. Hammond out.'

Å

EARTH

SGC, LEVEL 18, ARCHEO/ANTHRO/LINGUISTICS LABS

Pippa Mahoney cursed under her breath and scrolled back to the beginning of the Stargate address directory. Recruited to the Anthro/Archeo department by Doctor Jackson himself, she'd been assigned the task of maintaining the address book to the stars. The Abydos collection, Colonel O'Neill's Ancient's address list, and every other set collected over the last six years was here, at her fingertips. If Doctor J thought the address to the planet he was on was in her database, it had to be. Except, it wasn't. Nyan and the rest of their team were looking too, every computer in their two labs was burning bright with scrolling glyphs. People kept poking their heads in the doors, checking their progress. She ignored the latest group of soldiers, airmen, whatever, and began again.

Ten minutes later, Pippa reached the end of the list again. She twisted around to look at the others. 'Anything?'

Dejected shrugs and shaken heads were the reply.

'I don't understand,' Nyan said. 'If Daniel recognised the denominator, then the address should be here.'

'But it's not,' she agreed. She felt awful. They'd let Daniel down, just when they should have been able to help him.

'I'll go tell General Hammond.' Nyan straightened his shoulders and marched off.

Å

N'HAS'Y

KEMYT CITY, STARGATE SQUARE

Daniel knew something had gone wrong. He allowed the SGC half an hour to locate the address. With Pippa and Nyan on the job they should have found it within ten minutes. Roughly 45 minutes had passed since he'd signed off with Hammond. They should have made contact by now.

'Daaniel, you must eat.' Jacuna jostled his elbow, bringing him back to his cooling bowl of stew.

'Sorry, my mind is wandering.' He chewed slowly, thinking hard.

Jacuna topped up his bowl. 'I will not have the Eart folk think we have not fed you.'

No dial-in meant no address. Therefore, he hadn't seen it in the database. Where else had he been that he might have seen a gate address? Tsydon? No—in all the decorations and Goa'uld scribings he'd seen there, none had been a gate symbol or address. Yu's palace? Not likely. He'd been drugged out of his brain through most of that fun time. Boch's ship? No. Not in his office at the base. His last translations had been an excruciatingly detailed genealogy of the lost rulers of P8R-33K. Their last mission had been to P6Z-294: where they'd gained a wealth of trade and technology and friendship, but no new addresses to the Stargate system. He smiled, remembering the overly happy Nandians. Eyeing his tall Clan, he made a mental note to introduce them both. Before that mission there had been a string of unproductive and sometimes rancorous missions, none of which had yielded anything useful.

He really had to concentrate now, gone from Earth months… was it a year or more? Mission after mission played through his memory. Oh—Abydos. He'd spent two weeks' leave with Kasuf and Skaara, setting up the market gardens. Daniel closed his eyes, certain he was on the right trail. The last day he'd spent with Skaara and the town's young people, exploring a passageway in the pyramid. They'd discovered it weeks earlier after a particularly energetic dust storm had shifted the sands piled up around its base. After much crawling and coughing through a dark, dry stone tunnel they'd emerged in the Cartouche Room.

Closing his eyes, he put himself back in that dusty place. Back up… there – a side tunnel had branched off the one they'd crawled through. Flickering torches had revealed a dead end, and… yes! Compact walls covered in cartouches, address cartouches. They hadn't stayed to investigate because Nabeh was becoming allergic to the dust. He'd said to Skaara he'd come back on his next visit – nearly two years ago now. On his return to the SGC he'd omitted the find from his report to the general. Kasuf and his people had only their naquada to trade with; the SGC had plenty of addresses as yet unexplored, and he hadn't wanted the NID getting wind of new addresses in the climate of suspicion and intrigue that had festered around the SGC at that time.

Daniel pictured that little alcove; images dancing in the flickering light, stars locked unmoving on the ceiling, one incongruously bare wall, cartouches framing the surprisingly brightly coloured pictures of Ra… Got you. He opened his eyes and found Sabire and half the Clan eyeing him dubiously.

Å

EARTH

SGC, LEVEL 28, CONTROL ROOM

'We're all set, general.' Siler, Doctor Lee and a group of technicians had wrestled the bulky short-wave transceiver into the control room and set it up in 40 minutes flat.

Hammond moved through the crowd of off-duty, some on-duty, and just plain curious personnel in the briefing room and trotted down the stairs. He should have sent them back to their posts, but nothing vital would go unmanned. It was a testament to Doctor Jackson that so many, including those who had actively searched for him, now waited to see him come home.

'52 minutes, general.' Sergeant Sullivan reported. Right on cue, the Stargate clunked to life. The alarms rang out and Hammond had them quickly silenced. If anyone on this base wasn't alert to what was going on, they weren't needed in its defence.

The short-wave radio crackled to life. 'Daniel Jackson calling SGC niner, over.'

''This is General Hammond, Doctor Jackson. I regret we've been unable to locate the address you requested.'

'Ah, yes, general. I've been giving that some thought—'

'Time to come home, son.' Movement in the Gateroom caught his eye. Colonel Reynolds and SG-3, geared up and ready to ship out. 'SG-3 is ready to depart to the Alpha Site. They'll meet you there, and when Doctor Abrams has checked you out, they'll bring you home.' That would give him time to pull SG-1 in and have them here for the big return.

The doctor's familiar soft voice echoed around the room. 'Er, ah, well, I can't do that, general, sorry.' Daniel rushed his words together. 'But I know where the address is, I'm positive.'

'Daniel the address is not one we've got on record. Maybe one day we'll come across it and you can reinitiate contact with the folk there, but for now, you need to come home.'

'No, sir.' Months of imprisonment and who knew what kind of treatment hadn't erased that stubbornness George knew so well. 'What I need is to not let a world of peaceful people lay vulnerable to Ba'al. He'll track me here one day, I'm sure of it. Anyway, that's beside the point. I know where I saw the N'Has'y point of origin glyph. It's on Abydos. Last time I was there Skaara and I explored a passageway in the pyramid. There was a side tunnel, painted with praises to Ra, and I know I saw that symbol in a cartouche on the wall there.'

Hammond frowned. 'I don't remember you mentioning that discovery when you returned from Abydos.'

'Oh? Really? I was sure I did. Anyway, can you get someone to contact Skaara? I could dial there myself but I'll have the same problem trying to raise their radio frequency. Sir.'

When the good doctor finally drew breath, George couldn't help shaking his head. Some people never changed.

'Sir?' Daniel was sounding cautious and worried now.

'It's okay, Doctor Jackson. I was just remembering the cosmic karma that seems to follow wherever you go.'

'Um…'

'Daniel, Colonel O'Neill, SG-1, SG-2 and Jacob Carter are currently with Skaara on Abydos. I'll contact them immediately and have them look for this address.'

'Really?' Daniel squeaked. He cleared his throat. 'I mean, uh, thank you, sir.'

'All going well, SG-1 will contact you in a few hours. If you don't hear from them, call us here in… four hours. Will that suit your hosts, Doctor?'

'Yes, they're most accommodating, sir, and very eager to meet you.'

'As I am to meet and thank them. We'll talk to you soon, son.'

'Thank you, general. Goodbye.'

George rubbed his now very bald head. 'Dial up Abydos, Sergeant. See if Colonel O'Neill is nearby.'

Å

ABYDOS

PYRAMID OF THE DEAD FALSE GOD

Jack stared at the Stargate with an intensity that had already scared off everyone except Teal'c, Sam and Skaara. Sam had relayed back to Nagada Hammond's news that not only was their lost boy okay but attempting to come home. Within an hour the rest of their crew: SG-2, Seni, Tobay, Jacob, even Boch, along with Kasuf and dozens of aunts, uncles, cousins and friends of Daniel's extended family had arrived. They'd crowded around him, demanding every detail, but what he knew fitted in one sentence and they'd drifted away, eventually breaking out the teapots and cookers outside in the Hypostyle Hall.

He actually jumped when the chevrons lit up. The militia took up position flanking the Stargate. Teal'c and Carter took up position flanking him. He was wound too tight to speak to them. As soon as the wormhole engaged the relay radio kicked in.

'SGC niner to SG-1 niner, receiving?'

Jack was hovering over the radio, hand on the transmit button. 'SG-1 niner, receiving you. Have you got him?'

'Colonel, it's General Hammond. We've had a couple more conversations with Doctor Jackson. He's… delaying gating to the Alpha Site until the address for the planet he's on can be found.'

'What? General, I don't understand. Is he being coerced?'

'We're ninety percent sure he is not under duress. He says he's been well cared for, but is worried Ba'al will track him down and seek retribution on those who sheltered him.'

'Well, tell him to get the hell out of there!'

'I did try, Jack,' Hammond replied drolly. 'He insists he will not leave this planet cut off from the gate system.'

'Ugh.' Jack buried his face in his hands and paced away from the radio. 'Daniel… it's never easy with you.'

'Sir, this Major Carter. What can we do to help?'

'As it turns out, major, everything. Doctor Jackson says the address for this planet is one he saw inscribed on a wall in a passageway in that very pyramid you're standing in.'

'It is.' She blinked. 'It's not in our database at the SGC?'

'Believe me, we've looked, major.'

'Did he happen to mention which particular passageway?' Jack leant over her shoulder and asked in his most polite voice.

'One he explored with Skaara on the last day of his last visit.'

'Skaara!' Jack bellowed.

Skaara appeared from behind Teal'c who massaged his ear and glared at Jack.

'Oh, there you are. Do you know what Daniel's talking about?'

'I do, Jack.'

'Doctor Jackson said he saw cartouches carved into the walls of a side passage – one you didn't go into fully,' added Hammond.

Skaara was nodding, an excited gleam in his eye. 'Yes, I know the place, General Hammond.'

'Very well. The one we want ends with a denominator shaped like a capital M with curls at each end.'

'We're on it, sir.' Jack was two feet away before the next sentence formed. 'Do you want us to call back when we have it?'

'I think for the sake of expediency, colonel, you could send a MALP through to Doctor Jackson's planet and if you're satisfied, go on through. We couldn't do much more from here and we've still got teams due in this evening. I'm sending SG-3 to the Alpha Site as backup. If Daniel contacts us and hasn't heard from you, I'll order him to the Alpha Site.'

'Good luck with that, sir! O'Neill out,' he yelled as he sped out of the gate room.

'You, too, colonel.' Hammond's voice chased them on their way.

'Skaara, which way?'

'Here!'

Skaara darted past him and led the charge up through the Hypostyle Hall, and out into blinding daylight. Instead of going down the ramp, he skidded left and raced around the walkway fronting the pyramid. Jack was a step behind, trailing his team and everyone else like a comet. He'd thought the walkway ended at the corner of the pyramid, but Skaara turned left again onto stone pavement that had previously been buried under sand drifts. Twenty feet along, he slid to a halt. Skaara was on his knees, peering into an opening no more than two feet square.

'You're kidding me,' he growled. 'Carter, light.' She always had a led light on her, even in civvies.

She slapped one into his hand and turned on a second. 'How far in is it?'

'Not far, we shall be there by middle day.' Skaara said.

'Yikes, a real knee-killer. I'll go, sir.'

Jack nodded and handed the light to Skaara.

'I shall wait with you, O'Neill,' declared Teal'c, kinda obviously – he'd never fit in that little hole.

'Keep your radio on. If you get into trouble we'll send the kids in after you.'

She grinned and dived in, swiftly swallowed by the darkness.

'We shall emerge in the Room of Cartouches, Jack.' Skaara flashed a smile and crawled in after Carter.

Leaving Seni and Tobay to monitor the entrance, Jack led the way back, down the ramp and around to the Cartouche Room entrance, formerly concealed under the ramp at the pyramid's base.

SG-2, who had never been in that room before, made admiring noises and spread out to investigate. Jack scuffed his feet through the drifts of sand in the entrance. The interior was cool, and still held that awe-inspiring, mysterious air it had when they had first followed Daniel into it, so many lifetimes ago.

Jacob whistled. 'This is where you got all those gate addresses. Nice work.'

'Daniel's work,' Jack said, a little too pointedly. He shadowed Boch, strolling along the walls. 'Daniel found it, that first year. Recorded them all, one by one, crammed into the only journal he'd had.'

'Incredible.'

'Indeed.' Teal'c stood by one of the Horus statues, matching it in the intimidation stakes. He also kept Boch under close scrutiny. 'I have known no other Goa'uld to amass such a collection of Stargate addresses.'

'Guess that's why Ra was head honcho. Or maybe he was just a hoarder.'

'You tried dialling all these, O'Neill?' asked Boch.

'Not all. Some are duds, some not your nicest vacation spot.'

'Must have found some useful trading partners out there. Care to share?'

Jack glared at him. 'How 'bout we ask Daniel when he comes home?' Forgiveness – from Jack at least – was still a long way off.

Boch looked like he was going to push, then shrugged and wandered along the back wall, exuding a fakely casual air.

Jack looked at Kasuf, standing near the centre brazier, studying the statues with interest. He did admire the man, only six, nearly seven years out of a lifetime of slavery. He no longer feared the mystical vengeance of his 'god'. The wrenching loss of his children – all three of them, now – had filled the Headman of Nagada with tempered steel.

'Kasuf? Any idea where this tunnel Skaara found comes out?'

'Skaara said he and Dan'yer emerged from the feet of the beast-god.'

Jack raised his eyebrows and scanned the room. Horus statues ringed the large chamber. He started with the closest one, checking them all for trapdoors, openings, anything. One of a pair on the east wall had scuffmarks on the dusty floor by the stone feet of the statue. He knelt, peered into the narrow space behind. A trick of the light made the wall seem unbroken, but Jack could feel a definite movement of air. He switched on his flashlight and found himself staring at a two-foot square hole set four feet up from the floor.

He filled his lungs, and bellowed. 'Skaara! Carter? Can you hear me?'

Å

ABYDOS

RA'S OLD ESCAPE TUNNEL IN THE GUTS OF THE PYRAMID OF THE DEAD FALSE GOD

The tunnel was just as dusty as it had been when Skaara had followed Dan'yer along it, one and a half seasons ago. In front of him, Sam sneezed.

'The air isn't as stale as I expected,' she said.

'Dan'yer said this tunnel is linked to airshafts. Here is one.' He aimed the light at a gap in the roof, no more than a hand-span across.

Sam sat down and wriggled around. She held her hand up to the hole. 'I can feel the breeze. Wow. So what was the purpose of a tunnel like this?'

Skaara indicated for her to continue moving. The floor dipped down, the passageway drawing them into the foundations of the pyramid. Because it leads from the Cartouche Room to the outside, Dan'yer thought Ra may have planned to use it to escape if he faced another rebellion and was denied access to his Ha'tak.'

'That sounds like Goa'uld planning.'

The angle of the floor became steeper, making their hands-and-knees progress quite precarious.

'Dan'yer intended to come back and search for more tunnels, but his work on your world occupies all of his time. And I grew used to working in the gardens.' He caught his breath as he lost purchase on a pile of loose gravel and slid into Sam. 'I do not like these places,' he added darkly.

A gasp and a slither of stones sent Sam slipping away from him. 'Can't say I do either. You're sure this comes out in the Cartouche Room? I don't want to try turning around in here.'

'I am sure, Sam. Here is the first corner.'

Sam directed the light around the bend, found the passage clear and moved on.

'There is one more turning, then the side passage is a short distance further.'

'You know, Skaara, I wonder why Daniel didn't record those addresses when you found them the first time. It's not like him to leave a discovery like that. He never mentioned finding them to us, either.'

Skaara shuffled on, trying to ignore the way the weight of the pyramid pressing down upon him. Eventually, he replied. 'Dan'yer said Ra had hidden those addresses for a reason. Until he knew why, he did not wish to reveal them to your leaders. He feared there were some people who might mis-use them.'

'NID. He had good reason to be cautious. There were some shady things going on a couple of years ago.'

'We will take only the address Dan'yer asked for.' He followed Sam around the second turning. 'It is for Dan'yer to decide if the others are to be recorded.'

'Fine by me. We've got enough addresses in our database to keep us busy for years, anyway.'

Finally the bright beams of light they carried revealed a dark opening on one side of the wall.

'We are here.'

The second passage was free of debris. They inched inside, the opening even lower than the tunnel. Sam moved cautiously, but without complaint. Skaara could see why Dan'yer loved to travel the stars with her.

The low roof lasted only the length of a man's body, then it opened up into a chamber, still narrow but high enough to permit even O'Neill to stand unbent.

Sam stood and rubbed her knees. 'This is unexpected.'

The light danced over the stone walls, illuminating the intricate painted carvings that covered the floor and walls, and arced over the domed ceiling. The far wall – only an outstretched arm's length wide – was the only space not decorated.

'This is Ra,' Skaara said. Everywhere the false god was portrayed, striding over subjugated people, being praised by others, raining destruction on enemies. Always, he had the sun's rays emanating from his body, as if to say he ruled even over the stars themselves.

'Modest, wasn't he?' Sam's comment made him laugh.

'The addresses are here.' He leant back and looked up at the painted stars arcing over their heads. Between the bands of stylised stars, seven cartouches each held a set of Stargate glyphs.

'There!' Sam leaned close as she looked up. 'That's a capital M. It has to be the one he described.' She played her light over the others, checking them all twice. 'It's the only one it could be.'

Skaara pointed his light on the address while she copied it into a small book.

'We've got it,' she whispered excitedly. They traded a look and both smiled.

'Dan'yer.' Skaara could feel his brother coming closer to him with every breath.

'Here we come!' Sam finished. 'Let's go.'

'Wait.' He hesitated. Much as he did not wish to look, this had disturbed his rest many nights since he and Dan'yer had been here last. 'There is writing. In Goa'uld. I did not want to read it when we came before. It was too soon after…' The echoes of the evil Klorel had rung in his head for many moon cycles. To read the writings of any Goa'uld had been more than he could bear, but just as often he had wondered.

He turned to the blank far wall. He caught up the end of his robe and wiped away the concealing dust. Three words in the script of the false gods could just be seen in the centre of the stone.

'Can you read it?' Sam asked softly.

'Yes. Kekwy sesesh amduat. The dying sun brings release from the secret chamber.'

They glanced at each other. Skaara dug into his carry pouch, retrieving the one thing he had carried with him all the days of his captivity, driving Klorel insane with his inability to rid Skaara of it.

'Here.' Sam handed him her sunglasses. He held the lighter up behind the glasses and flicked the flame to life. Muted light danced over the bare stone, catching on a tiny reflecting stone set in the heart of the wall.

A deep rumbling shook the small room. Dust and sand cascaded over them. They drew back, ready to flee.

'Wait.' He grabbed her arm. A door slowly opened in the wall. Narrow, a man would have to step in sideways. The rumbling ceased. Confident the pyramid would not crush them, they leaned their heads in and peered into the darkness.

Their lights flashed off golden objects. Jewels reflected bright colours back at them. Bizarre shapes: faces of statues, weapons, mirrors, furniture mixed in jumbled piles.

Skaara whistled. Surely these were the riches of Ra, hidden so well from his former slaves.

'Wonderful things,' Sam said reverently. She glanced up at him. 'Let's leave this for Daniel.'

'Yes.'

They withdrew and the door rumbled shut. Excited, mind whirling with wonder at the hidden chamber, Skaara led Sam out into the tunnel. Whatever was there would wait. Finding his brother came first.

The path down to the cartouche room was shorter than what they had already travelled, and spurred on by their success and unexpected find, they did not have to crawl for long before Skaara saw a flicker of light heralding the end of the tunnel. He could feel the fresher air on his face, when a great noise thundered down on them.

'Skaara, Carter! Where the hell are you?'

Sam muttered something behind him. Skaara reached the end and looked out at the back of the Horus figure. 'Dan'yer is correct,' he said mildly. 'You are very loud, Jack.'

'Holy creepin' crawlies!' Jack jumped back, startled, banged his elbow on the wall and swore.

Skaara slithered head first out of the opening and reached back to help Sam.

'Did you get it?' demanded Jack.

'We did.' He beamed triumphantly.

Sam waved her little book.

'Well, what are we waiting for?'

Å

N'HAS'Y

KEMYT CITY

Daniel sat watching the stars wheel across the night sky. Crocus had set below the horizon and the Tree of Giving was nearing the apex of its path. It must be middle-night, later even. The party atmosphere over in the audience had barely diminished, but Daniel found it increasingly difficult to respond to the conversations around him. Ayshal, Jacuna and Safia kept up a steady thread of chat, while Sabire played a low, soothing song on a small instrument, brushing the wooden striker against metal keys. Gramire and Gransire drowsed in lounge chairs a short distance away.

He tried to imagine what he would say to Jack, Sam and Teal'c when he saw them again. Only the most inane greetings came to mind. Had they changed much in the time they'd been apart? Had he? Worryingly, he knew he had. He still felt like himself: Daniel Jackson, the guy who lived on Earth, had family on Abydos, friends on many other planets. He still had his knowledge: languages and histories garnered over an extraordinarily varied lifetime. Yet, somehow he felt separate from all that. It belonged to another Daniel, one he'd met through an alternate universe mirror.

Idly, he traced a pattern on his cast, over an itch in his healing bones. It was Ba'al. The gigantic thorn in the garden of his life. Everything he tried picturing himself doing once he stepped through the gate was quantified by a coda: if Ba'al doesn't come looking for him again. There was a solution. He knew it. He knew he'd find it. Between dreams and memories, there was an answer waiting to be uncovered, the key to defeating Ba'al's ambitions.

Daniel ran his fingers through his hair, shoulder-length now and held off his face by intricate joined braids Teni had done just yesterday. Had Skaara found the address? He could picture it clearly now, in the dusty little chamber above those beautiful paintings. He'd never told Hammond about it – it had been hard enough getting a fair trade out of the SGC and those who pulled its strings for the Abydonian naquada. It never hurt to have a little something else to bargain with. And then there was whatever was hidden behind the door in the blank wall that Skaara hadn't wanted to talk about.

A loud clunk echoed from the middle of the square. Daniel's heart stopped beating, then pounded erratically. Another clunk. He scrambled to his feet, Sabire already up and reaching to steady him. A third clunk… he stared at the Stargate, though truly he'd never taken his eyes off it. Four chevrons blazed red in the darkness.

'Get clear! Everyone, get away from the Stargate.'

Anyone remotely near the Stargate drew back.

The fifth chevron lit. All over the square, people were getting to their feet, murmurs grew, merged, became a thrill of anticipation.

Six chevrons engaged.

Please. Daniel clutched Sabire's arm.

The Stargate gushed to life, an active connection formed between their location, and where…?

The event horizon stabilised.

They waited.

Waited…

Something poked through. Six feet off the ground, dull grey metal. Slowly it inched through: a long metal arm – attached to… a MALP.

A strange sob of breath escaped his lips. He let go of Sabire and hobbled toward it. That familiar, oh blessedly familiar sound filled his ears as the MALP fully materialised and rolled across the plinth. Daniel ran, or as near as he could run with his leg cast. The probe arm swung in an arc, camera mounted on its end blinking: recording.

I'm here, I'm here, he wanted to yell, but his voice was gone, choked off with emotion that took him by surprise.

Slowly, the camera was swinging back, still not covering him. He scrabbled up the ramp, slipped, skidded back, felt Sabire catch him and boost him forward. There was noise everywhere, but there was only one thing he wanted to hear.

'SG-1 niner calling Daniel Jackson. Do you read? Over.'

'Yes! God, yes, I'm here, it's me.' Daniel flung himself at the MALP, searching stupidly for the radio. 'Geez, where is it. I'm here, can you hear me?' He grabbed the probe arm and stared at the camera lens.

'Daniel?'

'Jack?'

'Daniel!'

'Jack…' He was laughing, sobbing, barely able to pronounce one word.

'Well, I can see his nose.' Jack's words were muffled, then more clearly came, 'You wanna back up a little, buddy? Wave hi to the gang!'

Sabire shoved his walking stick into his hand. Daniel lurched back, wiped the wet trails on his face and tried for a smile.

'There he is,' Jack crowed. 'Hey, Danny.'

'Hey, Jack.'

Whatever Jack said next was drowned by a cavalcade of shouts. 'Dan'yer!' 'Daniel!' 'Doc!' 'Daniel Jackson.' 'Good Son…' 'Doctor J!'

'Who's with you?' he croaked.

'Oh, friends, family, the usual. We'd, ah, like to come through, if the natives aren't restless.'

Daniel snorted. 'They're perfectly friendly, Jack. Very eager to meet you.' His voice faded off to a whisper. 'So am I.' He cleared his throat. 'In fact, one of them is right here. He'd like to say hello.' He nodded encouragingly to Sabire.

Sabire drew himself up, then bent down to camera level. White teeth gleaming in a huge smile, he gathered a lungful of air and shouted the alien words he'd been practising so diligently.

'Greetings, Earthlings!'

The sound of Jack's laughter was music to Daniel's ears. Two simple words that told Jack there was no threat here.

There was a slithery, slurping noise, and there he was: tall, lanky frame, silver hair, sardonic smile, P-90 and tac vest incongruously over jeans and his best fishing shirt. He paused for a moment, eyes raking over the square and the hundreds of gaping onlookers.

'We come in peace. Take me to your leader!' Those brown eyes finally landed on Daniel. And stayed.

The cane fell from Daniel's hand. He took three staggering steps and fell into Jack's arms. Those arms closed around him, enveloping him in scents of gun oil, Old Spice, and home.