Ch. 9 Help
A long day had turned into a long night. Hammond had spent most of his time contacting allies. He would need all the help he could get. He'd sent word to Bra'tac, Jacob, and Thor.
The Asgard had been the only ones to reply. They would have a ship in the area of the planet in about a day. Hammond didn't know how much good it would do, but thanked them for their efforts.
SGs 3 and 5 had gone back to the planet to look for clues to his flagship team's fate. They had returned with only the photos of two dead Jaffa, both with different emblems on their foreheads. The least they could do is figure out what masters these Jaffa served.
Hammond couldn't deny he was frustrated. His team had more than likely been taken from the planet to only God knew where. SG-1 had defied everything, though, including death. He hoped this time would be no different.
The sudden gate activation startled the two-star general. He was up and down the stairs before the wormhole engaged. He stood next to Walter, waiting for an IDC.
"Sir, it's Master Bra'tac."
"Open the iris," Hammond ordered, heading down to the gate room.
Bra'tac exited the Stargate, followed closely by Rya'c.
"Master Bra'tac, Rya'c. Welcome," Hammond greeted.
"Hammond of Texas. What is the situation?"
"Please, come with me." The trio headed up to Hammond's office. Once everyone was seated, he began.
"SG-1 gated to P3X-149, a seemingly uninhabited planet. It was an exploratory mission only. Evidently, they ran into some Jaffa there."
"My father?" Rya'c asked worriedly.
"He's missing, along with the rest of SG-1. There was a firefight and it looks like they were taken from the planet. We did come across some dead Jaffa. We were hoping you could help us identify which Goa'uld they served. There were at least two distinct markings. We know it's a common practice for Jaffa to become loyal to another Goa'uld if their master falls in battle. However, we are having difficulty identifying either symbol."
Bra'tac nodded. "Perhaps a minor Goa'uld. Show us."
Hammond pulled open the manila file on his desk and pulled the two photographs out. He placed them in front of Rya'c and his master.
Bra'tac leaned forward, his dark eyes surveying the pictures and inspecting the black marks on the Jaffa's foreheads. He pointed to the one nearest him. "This one served Tem, a Goa'uld who fell in battle not long ago. I know of a free Jaffa with the same emblem. This other, I do not know," he told the general.
"This free Jaffa, is there a way you could contact him? Possibly find out who this other Goa'uld is? And how he escaped his or her service unlike his friend here?" Hammond inquired. He slipped the image of Tem's Jaffa back into the folder, then handed the photo of the still unknown Jaffa to Bra'tac.
"Indeed. Rya'c and I will attempt to gather this information."
"If you need me for anything el-"
"Don't worry, Rya'c. We'll find him," Hammond assured the young man.
"Thank you, sir." Rya'c looked to his master, who nodded quickly. They both seemed eager to discover the Jaffa's identity.
"We shall depart. We will return with news as soon as possible." Both Jaffa bowed to Hammond, who did the same.
As of that moment, Teal'c's mentor and son were SG-1's best hope.
TBC in 'Holding Out'