Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 8

Martouf had finally arrived back in the Tunnels from his last mission only to be called before the Council immediately. It was only Lantash' iron control that allowed them to remain on their feet. Jolinar had not returned from her mission or contacted them. she was meant to have returned months before him and yet there had been no sign of her or Rosha. He barely listened as the Council explained why he hadn't been informed or recalled earlier. The intel he had brought back was simply too important and it would have taken too long to get another operative that close. He handed over the precious information and then left, returning to their quarters to lie on their sleeping platform alone, thoughts a jumble. 'They aren't dead.'

'Martouf…'

'No, I won't…I can't…' he closed his eyes and buried his head in her pillow, wishing it still smelt like her.

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Rosha woke slowly, thoughts muddled but she slowly began to realise that yes, she was still alive. But why was that a shock? She struggled to wake fully and finally opened her eyes to blink up at a strange ceiling…not the Tel'tak…. the Tunnels…Netu…. Sokar's Palace or ship? She struggled to sit and then hands were holding her down and she fought weakly.

"Easy!' It's okay, you're safe."

The male voice was very vaguely familiar, and she panted for air, turning her head to find the one holding her down was a young human male…with the greenest eyes she'd ever seen…eyes she'd seen before. "H…" she coughed, and a cup was held to her lips, so she drank. "Harry."

"Rosha," he greeted her in return. He fiddled with something out of her sight and the head of what she was lying on lifted to help her sit up. She looked around in confusion, she took in the empty beds and workspaces…. a medical ward? "Any pain?" he asked, and she focused back on him, he still wore the black and blue leathers he wore when they first met, though without the over layers and he was visibly armed with unfamiliar weapons.

"None," she answered truthfully but then frowned…Jolinar…. why was she silent? 'Jolinar?' but there was no answer. She fought the urge to panic, she was an undercover operative, even without Jolinar, she would remain in control of herself.

"Good, you had quite the list of injuries. You're lucky I literally stumbled over your ship, an hour or so more and you would have been dead through lack of oxygen."

"The ship was damaged, I tried to repair it."

"I noticed, not a bad job considering the lack of tools," he answered as he moved away. He returned quickly with a tray of very bland, watery food. "You haven't eaten anything solid for a while so take it slow."

She sipped the broth and felt her stomach rebel. "Who are you? Where are we?"

"Harry Potter. We are aboard the Deserdi, my ship, and well away from where I found you in case whoever you were running from tracked you. So how did you end up a host and was it you or the symbiote I was talking to when we first met?" Harry asked as he hopped up to sit on the closest medical bed, hand subtly close to a gun.

Rosha froze and then looked up at him, seeing genuine curiosity, not disgust, but also wariness and she did not blame him for that. "How…." Harry pointed, and she looked up to see a screen with her body displayed on it, showing Jolinar wrapped around her spine and highlighted in red. Something about the language on the display was familiar too but she couldn't read it. "Is she alright?"

"She? Other than currently being sedated all injuries have been dealt with. It was easier to heal both of you than to try and keep you separate. So, who is she and should I be pulling out the necessary equipment to remover her before the sedation wears off?"

"NO!" Rosha reacted immediately. "Please no, Jolinar is not what you think."

Harry sat back and stared at her, she wasn't aware of him gently scanning her mind with what modern wizards called Legilimency. The modern version was far more…limited and he was glad Excali'an had taught him the true version, allowing him to skim through her mind undetected. "She is Goa'uld."

"Jolinar is not Goa'uld," Rosha hesitated, how to explain without giving too much away? This ship was highly advanced…they cooperated with the Tollan already, perhaps his people would also agree to an alliance of sorts? "She is Tok'ra."

Harry frowned, against Ra? "A lot of Goa'uld aren't with Ra from what I've gathered."

Rosha hesitated, secrecy was how they lived, but if she didn't give him something would he kill Jolinar to 'free' her? "We are against all System Lords. The Tok'ra do not take hosts, I volunteered as do all the others."

"Martouf?" he asked, she could have been with him to maintain some sort of cover after all.

"Yes, we have been mated for almost one hundred years."

"Congratulations," wow, that had to be love. "Why would anyone volunteer to host?"

"I can fight back against the Goa'uld, I have access to all of her knowledge and my lifespan is extended. All I have to do is share my body," she shrugged. "The Goa'uld wiped my people out when I was a child, because of Jolinar I can help keep others from sharing that fate."

Harry could feel Excali'an's surprise at her answers. If the Tok'ra had existed in his day, they had been very well hidden. The Knighthood had not fared well against the Goa'uld in their first battles, but they had adapted and pushed them back, freeing many planets, spreading out and even setting up a few colonies of their own, and they had even placed spies within the Goa'uld. Nothing had hinted at an internal resistance. They could sense she was telling the truth but what to do about it? If they took the fight to the Goa'uld then they could end up killing Tok'ra without knowing it and he had the feeling their numbers weren't that great, how many Goa'uld would turn against their whole species? "An internal resistance…amazing. So, you share control?"

"As much as possible, in some circumstances there is no choice due to safety," she admitted, she had spent most of their captivity as deeply supressed as Jolinar could manage in an attempt to spare her the torture and what had to be done to escape.

"So, who was I talking with in the market?"

"Me. Goa'uld do not use that market."

Harry glanced at the monitor. "Sedative is beginning to wear off," he hopped down. "I'll leave you two to it. Make sure you finish the broth," he called as he left the room and Rosha had no doubt the door locked behind him.

She sipped at the broth, even though it was pretty much cold now. She knew she needed the nutrients desperately…then again, she felt a lot better than she would have expected, how long had she been here to have recovered so much? She smiled as she felt Jolinar stirring from her drugged sleep and smiled in relief as her partner finally woke, she had been worried, not used to the silence.

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Harry sat in the control chair, tipped back, eyes closed, as he allowed the ship to feed him information. All of the important systems were up and running, not always at 100% but the ship still needed a lot of work. Several internal sensors were watching Rosha and Jolinar in the sickbay, he believed her story, but trust would take time. That was if she was with him long enough to worry about such things for now. He didn't want her wandering the ship and realising he was the only one aboard, rather than just her designated watcher. He also didn't want her realising the size or type of ship, or that it needed a lot of work.

External sensors showed no sign of Goa'uld ships in pursuit, there were some scattered around the area but none of them within Hyperspace, they were mostly stationary around various planets. He would need to drop Rosha off soon or change course, he did not want her knowing he was from Terra, not yet. Eventually he had no doubt the Galaxy would know Terra was once again a power to contend with, but he would buy them every extra second he could before that reveal. Since the sensors were clear he dropped out of Hyperspace, there were several systems close by that should have Chappa'ai on them for her to use.

In a few weeks he should be home, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. He had people he missed, like Methos. By now Nick was old enough for him to contact without Marie interfering and he was nervous but also excited to reconnect with his little brother. He should have received the package he had left once he was eighteen, he just hoped Marie hadn't managed to interfere in its delivery. He had loved her like family, he didn't understand her though and she had hurt him deeply. He also wanted to track down the Winchester brothers, see how they were. He had remained hands off when it came to their lives, waiting for them to come to him. He may be running out of patience on that though. He would miss the freedom of his travels though, going where he wanted, when he wanted. He would be tied down by university, the company and finding somewhere to base a new Avalon.

He wasn't going to risk whatever security may still be active after so long at the original, it was too dangerous. If Merlin didn't answer, then he was either too damaged or even destroyed which meant no one in control of the defences. He knew there had been other bases, some outposts like Morgana's, others proper installations but with no contact from any of them they would be a last resort option. He would hide the Deserdi behind the moon and then use either the Chappa'ai or the Gate ships to shuttle people to and fro, both to work on the ship and learn the technology. The ship would have to serve as the solar systems defence for now.

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Jolinar wasn't sure what to think about their host. She hadn't seen him, and she wasn't comfortable with the fact he had been able to sedate her, but she could not deny the care given to her beloved host. She frowned as an area in the back of the room lit up but got off the medical bed and carefully approached, relived when she found a doorway that led to sanitation facilities. There were no pools like in the tunnels, she didn't enjoy the sonic shower, but it was good to feel really clean once more. Rosha was exhausted so she let her sleep as she cleaned up and even managed to cut their hair back to the preferred length, glad to see it was blond once more, the temporary colour and dirt gone. Clean clothes had been left, it wasn't much but a simple shift, but it would do since her clothes had vanished, hopefully to be cleaned. She could repair them herself if given the necessary tools. She walked around the room, getting muscles moving again, and was glad to find not even a twinge of discomfort. She had just sat on the bed when the doors opened, and Harry walked in with a tray of food. He was the only person either of them had seen, surely there should be Healers in this room? The size suggested a rather large ship, where was the rest of the crew?

Harry paused, watching her and then he put the tray down on the bed. "Jolinar?"

"Greetings, Harry Potter. I offer my thanks for your actions towards Rosha and for saving both of our lives." She bowed slightly to the young man who blinked in shock and she smothered a smile. It was nice that he showed no fear at her voice, she would not use Rosha's voice lest it be seen as an attempt to hide or lie.

Harry managed to keep his reaction to the reverberating, strong, voice to a blink even as he felt a shiver of fear at the sound. It was an instinctive reaction and one he was quick to squish. He was a Knight of Avalon, Celerites Auallonia, he did not fear the Goa'uld. They could not take him as a host, thanks to Excali'an's training and his own magic. Magic tended to be very territorial and would not allow an intruder such as a symbiote. It was also why possession was incredibly rare among his people. "Your thanks are welcome but not needed Jolinar, I simply did what was right. No one deserves to die that way." he took a seat on the bed next to hers. "The bed scanned both of you and the injuries…what happened?"

Jolinar hesitated but she did not think he was seeking delicate information or weaknesses. "Have you heard of the Goa'uld Sokar?"

Harry frowned and Excali'an too went over everything he knew of the System Lords. "A System Lord?"

"He was, he attempted rebellion against Ra and was punished. He generally plays the role of a god of the underworld and has a special punishment moon called Netu. He changed the atmosphere of the moon by orbitally bombarding the surface, causing molten lava to rise to the surface, and filling it with barely breathable toxins."

"Pleasant."

"It is deadly for a human within weeks, hosts last longer, depending on how they are treated."

"You were on Netu."

She nodded. "We were captured and revealed as Tok'ra. Sokar enjoys torture before banishing his prisoners to the moon. No one has ever escaped before. The moon is nominally ruled by one of his underlings, Bynarr. He took…. interest in us."

Harry's hands fisted tightly. "You mean he raped you," he hissed, almost in Parseltongue.

She tensed but then nodded, realising the damage would have shown up in the medical scan. "It allowed us to use him and escape."

"Pretty woman in a prison messed with his head," Harry managed a small smile, and she nodded. Harry got up and accessed the nearest workstation, bring up the navigational display. "Okay, these are the nearest systems. Any of them safe for you to get home from? We're running a bit behind schedule."

Jolinar got up and looked at the display before tapping one of the systems. "Abydos. One of Ra's mining planets but he rarely visits. To my knowledge the Chappa'ai is not guarded."

"Okay. We'll be there by morning," he shut the system down and moved towards the door. "Goodnight."

"Rest well."

Harry left the sickbay and went to retrieve her repaired clothes for her as well as make up a supply bag. Resistances usually had to move bases fairly frequently, so it might take her a while to find her people. He then went to the bridge to set course, the ship easily slipping through the hyperspace window, with the salvaged crystals from Rosha's ship he'd managed to affect some more repairs to the Hyperdrive, giving a smoother, slightly faster ride. Once that was set, he returned to the quarters he had claimed as his own to sleep because knowing his luck this trip would not be as easy as dropping her off at the Chappa'ai.

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Rosha was glad to be out of the shift she had been given and back in her own clothes. They had been cleaned and given basic repairs which was nice. She waited on the bed, wondering if they had arrived yet. The doors opened, and Harry walked in, the long surcoat now present with hints of armour and he was again armed.

"Good morning,"

"Good morning, have we arrived?" She asked even as Jolinar pondered the armour and weapons, it was driving her symbiote nuts that she couldn't quite identify the culture behind them. When you were just over 4000 years old that was a lot of memories to search through.

"We're in orbit, if you're ready to go?" He held out a bag and she accepted it, glancing inside to reveal survival rations and the like.

"Thank you." This was more than she could have ever expected from someone outside of the Tok'ra.

He shrugged, "Figured it might take a while to find your people since resistances usually have to move frequently."

"They will have left clues in specified places for people who are not on base when it moves, I will find them."

"Good," he hesitated and then handed her something else. "Comms device, I tuned it to you so if you can't find them or need help you can call."

Rosha was surprised and Jolinar shocked but wary. "Why? Do your people agree?"

Harry grinned. "Being Supreme Commander comes in handy occasionally."

That answer floored them both, Supreme Commander? What had he been doing in the market? Or even dealing with a patient/prisoner?

"You want me to show you how to use that?" he offered, enjoying her reaction to his rank.

"Supreme Commander?"

"Yep," Harry grinned and then gently took the small metallic circle and sat it snuggly behind her ear. She felt a brief sting, even less than a memory recall device, and then nothing. "No one will even know it's there, camouflage is built in." he was willing to use these comms devices for now, it was the internal neuro comms that he was wary of using until Morgana could ensure they were safe. His own was already in place and hidden behind his ear, unable to be seen even with his hair pulled back. He went over how to use it and got her to send a message and then listen to one he had pre-recorded.

Even Jolinar was impressed by the device, invisible communications devices could be very useful, as long as the Goa'uld couldn't pick up on the transmissions. Once Harry was done with the instructions and demonstration, she picked the bag up and stood.

"Over here," without the neural comms the ship couldn't do site to site transport, unless they stood in the correct place. Once she was with him, he hit the control on the console and they vanished, reappearing in the Ring transport room. "We've got a lock and I know the Goa'uld prefer the Rings to be near the As…Chappa'ai." He slipped on one of the portable control wrist bands, fitting it easily under the sleeve of his tunic. Unlike the Goa'uld version it was very subtle and easily overlooked.

Rosha wondered what name he knew the Chappa'ai by, but it was obvious he was not going to say. She stepped into the centre of the space and he joined her, triggering the Rings. They vanished in a flash as the Rings formed around them and reappeared planet side.

They were instantly assaulted by fiercely dry air and heat, despite the darkness of the room. Harry activated a lamp he'd hooked to his surcoat, lighting the large space enough to see the smooth, sloped walls of the inside of a Ha'tak landing pyramid. Sand had blown in over the years, leaving a few inches on the floor. There were columns around the edge and a narrow corridor, leading into the front rooms that often served as guard rooms and storage in this type of building. "We're clear. Scans showed a native settlement nearby and a lot of activity at what looked like some kind of mine, but they are a few hours away."

"Thank you for your help, we won't forget what you have done for us." Rosha bowed deeply to him and Harry gently tugged her upright.

Harry shrugged, "It was the right thing to do."

"Many would not agree," she assured him before kissing his cheek, smiling as he blushed. She went to the Dialling device and began inputting the coordinates of one of the worlds they used to lose pursuit. Of course, the gate began activating as she was two chevrons into the sequence and she quickly backed away.

Harry grabbed her and yanked her behind a column since they had moved too far from the Rings. Harry unholstered his blaster and took aim at the wormhole that appeared. At the first sight of Jaffa armour he fired, using both triggers to increase the lethality of his shots, the wormhole acting as a bottleneck. The mix of plasma and electricity easily went through their armour, dropping the soldiers instantly. He turned slightly pushing his coat aside, showing Rosha his holstered Terran gun at the small of his back and she understood the offer, pulling it free. "Safety's on, shoots a physical bullet, watch the recoil," he warned as she quickly looked the weapon over before taking careful shots.

"The Chappa'ai can remain open for too long!"

"I know. Cover me!" he bolted from cover, skidding across the sand covered stone to come to rest behind the dialling device. He pulled a panel in the base out and reached inside, keeping his body as crouched behind the device as he could. A blast grazed his arm, but his armour held thankfully. His fingers found what he was looking for and he twisted before pulling and the gate immediately cut off, cutting one Jaffa in half as it did.

"Clear," she told him as she checked the bodies and Harry quickly went to work. "What are you doing?"

"Disabling the Chappa'ai, only way to Abydos now will be by ship," Harry answered before he shot the crystals with several plasma bolts. "That'll do it."

"I have never seen someone shut down an active Chappa'ai like that," Jolinar spoke up and Harry glanced at her.

"It's a very old trick. Guess we need to try another planet for your return home," he offered and then frowned. "The locals…will Ra take this out on them?"

"Most likely." She found a Zat'nik'tel on one of the dead and began disintegrating the bodies, they were Serpent Guard, not Horus, which meant they were not Ra's soldiers. They had actually done Ra a favour in stopping a raid on his mines, but he would still be infuriated by the now disabled gate. It was not uncommon for one System Lord to send raids to another's more lucrative planets, for either resources or slaves but to attack the Supreme System Lord? Apophis was growing arrogant, more so than normal.

Harry looked around, seeing the signs of battle that couldn't be hidden, like the burnt stone and now useless Dialling device. "Getting you home will have to wait, sorry. I am not leaving these people to Ra's wrath."

Jolinar blinked and stared at him before nodding. How many times had they been forced to leave innocent civilians behind to be punished? If just this one they could be saved…she was sure Martouf, Lantash and the Council would understand the dely. "Agreed."

They Ringed back to the ship and Harry hesitated before beaming them to the bridge. "Welcome to the Deserdi," he offered formally, and she stared in shock as he sat in the Command Chair and it activated.

Jolinar was shocked, she'd seen a chair like that before…. Ancient, this was an Ancient ship…or one based very closely off one. How was that possible? They were long gone or dead. Was Harry an Ancient? A descendant? She had a lot of questions, but she wasn't sure he would answer. The bridge was just as empty of crew as they sickbay had been…then again perhaps they were not needed with an Ancient Control Chair.

"Okay, rooms are ready for refugees and cattle," he said after nearly half an hour, sitting up to see her expression and he knew she had recognised the technology.

"Are you an Ancient?" She asked in shock and Harry smiled.

"I am Celerites Auallonia."

"They are a myth," she denied. Rumour of the Knights had still circulated when she was young but there was no proof in her genetic memory of their existence. It wasn't possible, was it?

Harry just grinned cheekily at her and then led the way from the bridge, and she followed, still in shock. He palmed a door sensor and the door opened. "This is your room, I'm in that one," he pointed to his own quarters which had once belonged to the Captain.

"Thank you," Rosha answered, stepping in to find it rather empty but there was a bed and a small room off to the side had bathing necessities.

Harry left her and returned to the bridge, bringing up a map of the galaxy to go over, he needed to find the Abydonians' a new home. It would not be an easy choice, though picking a planet that was not a part of the gate system was a must. He would ensure the Goa'uld would not find them easily, letting their society finally begin to grow and evolve. Not long later Rosha re-joined him and they began narrowing the choices down. It took a day to finally narrow the field to two planets, one with an environment very close to that of Abydos; the other was a paradise compared to it with hills, large oceans, lakes and rivers, snow-capped mountains and forests.

"My concern is they know nothing of farming, or living close to large bodies of water," Rosha admitted and Harry nodded.

"I know, it is the more sustainable choice for a growing population though…know anyone who could teach them?"

Rosha and Jolinar considered it for a while. "Martouf is knowledgeable in such things, his people were farmers," she finally offered, the Tollan would not help and they had not heard from them in a while. They had few allies or people they could trust to ask for aide.

"So, I guess we're finding your people if they choose that option."

"You are going to approach them then?" she was surprised by that

"It's the right thing to do, especially if we move them to the second option, we can't just dump them there with no explanation or help."

"True. I have been to planets like this before, the people will believe us to be gods no matter what we say. I assume you know the language or have a means of translation?"

Harry nodded, he knew the language, well the root language at least, thanks to Excali'an who was positive he would be able to decipher it even after millennia of possible change. The sooner he could get Morgana to go over the neural comms the better. He went to the armoury and opened it before waving her forward. "I think this time we should both be armed, just in case."

Rosha nodded and looked at the available weapons, grabbing a Kara Kesh to go with the Zat'nik'tel she had taken planetside, she knew legend said the Goa'uld had not created the devices, this would appear to be proof of that. It was silver rather than the gold most System Lords favoured and was more aesthetically pleasing than the usual design. She slipped her arm into the device and quickly settled it, glad it was missing the normal finger caps of the Goa'uld design, allowing her sleeve to hide the majority of it. It would come in handy should there be any Jaffa on the planet.

They went to the transportation room and went down to the planet, just outside the mine since the majority of people were currently there. They walked the rest of the way in silence and heard the cries go up as they were spotted. She watched Harry take a deep breath, straightening to his full height, shoulders back as they stopped and waited to be approached. The people milled nervously and then someone caught the flash of gold of Rosha's Kara kesh and they all dropped to their knees, prostrating themselves. "Well that went well," he muttered before spotting a boy a few years younger than himself peeking up at them. He smiled and approached. "It's okay, we won't hurt you."

"Si misoy. Si misoy! Kasuf! Kasuf!" the boy screamed as he ran away, and Harry sighed.

"At least it sounds like he's going for a leader of some sort," he offered and Rosha chuckled.

"The bowing is my fault, I did not think they would recognise such a small glimpse of the Kara Kesh."

The boy returned, pointing to the newcomers. He was joined by several others, leading a large mastadge with someone seated behind curtains.

"Na-ney." The mastadge halted, and an older man moved the curtains to peer at the strangers. He got down from the mastadge, took his staff and approached, his people following behind. The boy spoke to him, and he responded. He then turned to them and spoke to them, including saying his name. He held out his staff horizontally in a peaceful gesture and bowed his head.

Harry and Rosha returned his gesture, she glanced at Harry who nodded and stepped forward, listening to the words Excali'an was reciting for him. "Greetings honoured Kasuf, I am Harry, this is Rosha. We have come to speak with you."

Kasuf eyed them nervously as they were strangers, then called out to his people. The people began to rise from their prostrated positions. Kasuf cautiously bowed from the waist and made another order. Two women came forward, bearing bowls. They offered them to them to drink and Harry accepted the bowl from the young woman in front of him, Rosha doing the same. They drank and then handed them back.

"Thank you," Harry told her, and she bowed before stepping back. Kasuf bowed, and Harry bowed in return. Harry smiled and pulled his last chocolate bar from a pocket, opening it and offering it to Kasuf who took it and cautiously bit into it.

"Bunni, bunni-wae!" He turned, smiling to his people.

"Umm…" Harry glanced at Rosha who shrugged slightly, neither of them was picking up everything the people said, the language had drifted too much.

"Si pleu? You will come?" Kasuf bowed and gestured for them to come.

Harry nodded, and they followed him, a large caravan forming around them as they walked through the desert until they came to an expansive stone city. Soon they were seated with Kasuf and others around a low table as a meal was served. It was a rather festive air as they ate. After a while Kasuf motioned and several women stepped forward, wrapping Harry in a blanket and herding him away. "Rosha?" he called in confusion.

"I do not know, a local custom?" she answered, watching in amusement as the perplexed young man was harried by a group of little old women. He didn't notice the young woman who had given him water watching nervously.

Soon Harry was in a tent, being washed and combed by the women, Excali'an laughing at his discomfort. Finally, the women bowed and backed out of the tent, leaving him puzzled and a little worried by the laughter. He looked up as the young woman from the desert entered the tent, a shear red veil over her head and he had a sudden sinking feeling. She walked towards him, head lowered, until she stopped in front of him and dropped the veil. She then began to pull her dress down, revealing her breasts and he gulped unable to help blushing. He'd helped at the Kurosaki clinic but even so, he had never seen a naked woman and did not wish to see a stranger. "No, no," he gently tugged her clothing back into place and tipped her face up. "I am Harry."

She stared at him, confused by his actions. "Shau'ri," she gave him her name. "You are not pleased with me?"

He was very glad he understood her question and he smiled, gently tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, getting a shy smile in return. "You are beautiful Shau'ri. I…" he mentally rolled his eyes at his companion and demanded he help get him out of this situation without insulting her or her family. "I am no god, just man, from far away. You no need do this." He hated language issues.

Shau'ri listened to his broken words, he was not one of the gods sent by Ra? He was dressed so strangely, like nothing she had ever seen before. He was attractive and young looking which was better than she could have hoped for. She had always known should the gods or their emissaries return what her role would be. She though this one had a kindness to him and perhaps it would not be so bad. "A man travels the stars?"

"Many do, you can too," he promised, and her eyes lit up. He took her hand and led her from the tent, to find Kasuf and several elders….and there was a confused looking Rosha coming towards them.

"Harry?"

"You were right about them thinking us gods, Shau'ri was uh…given to me."

"Ah." She should have expected this, it had happened to Martouf before, leaving her mate very embarrassed. It seemed in this Harry was much like Martouf. She looked to Kasuf as the man talked quickly with the girl…. most likely his daughter. This could be awkward. It took some time to clear things up and she was amused that the girl stayed close to Harry, there was something about him…something that made you feel safe. It was why he soon had the children milling about him before being sent off to bed. Harry slept in the tent he had been led to and Rosha joined him. Jolinar was remaining quiet, not wanting to scare the locals or get them back on the god idea.

The next morning, they began trying to explain what had happened and what would happen when Ra returned, it didn't help that there were some language issues. It took four days to really get through to them and in the end Jolinar did step up to help explain that Ra was not a god. Every day the children flocked around them, fascinated by them, especially Skaara, Shau'ri's younger brother. Finally, the decision was made to leave and then the fun began as the people began packing their lives up and Harry began beaming it up to the ship. It took almost a week to get the people, their belongings and their animals on board and safe and then they left the system.

They stopped at three planets where Jolinar went down alone to look for information on where the base had moved to. When she found that information the ship was left in a nearby system and they took a gate ship to the system and beamed down to in front of the gate.

"Where to?"

"This way," Jolinar pointed and they began walking. "Do not expect a warm welcome," she warned, and he chuckled.

"I never do," he assured her. They stepped around a dune and it exploded into motion as Tok'ra appeared around them, weapons aimed. Jolinar stepped forward, arms raised even as she recited the recognition codes. They had come unarmed, except for Excali'an, the dagger rested at the small of his back, invisible to others. He knew better than to go into the unknown unarmed. The weapons finally lowered some and they were moved to the rings and transported down into crystalline tunnels. "Impressive," he whispered and Jolinar grinned as they were led to medical. Harry stayed quiet, Jolinar had warned him they would be checked out, he was a stranger and Jolinar had been gone for over a year. So, he sat on the crystal bed and allowed them to look him over.

Five minutes later Martouf ran into the room and his eyes immediately locked on Rosha although the guard stopped him from approaching. "Beloved?" he called, and she smiled.

"We are alright," she assured him.

"Now," one of the Healers muttered as she scanned her. She could see the damage that had been done and while it had been healed well it still angered her to see it in the first place.

Martouf paced as the Healers worked, Lantash doing his best to calm him down. They had been beginning to think their mates were dead as the Council had declared, and now there they were, across the room, and he was not allowed near. He knew why in theory, but it was maddening to have her so close after so long and yet not be allowed to get close. It was then that Lantash finally drew his attention to the occupant of the other bed and he blinked in shock. It was the young man from the market…Harry. What was going on?

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Tony sat back in his chair and looked around the bullpen, fingering his badge under his desk. Maybe it was time to move on? He liked NCIS and living in DC, but it wasn't the same anymore and he didn't like how things were changing. He had liked Kate, she was fun, once she relaxed from being a Secret Service Agent to be an NCIS agent. She'd become something like an annoying little sister and most of their teasing was done in good fun, though even as a profiler she had trouble seeing past his frat boy mask. Seeing her die like that…he'd seen worse, but it was different when it was a teammate, a friend. Ari was dead, he'd gone after Gibbs and died for it, Tony just wish he could have been the one to do it. Then again, he wished he had been the one Ari shot, that Kate had been spared, wouldn't be the first time he'd died that way.

In the week since her funeral their new Director, Gibbs' old probie, had begun flexing her muscles with small changes here and there. She was building up to something big, he could feel it and he got the feeling he didn't want to be around for it. But could he abandon Gibbs, Abby, Ducky and Tim, even Palmer, now? No, he would stay but he would keep the card the Old Man had slipped him when he had seen him three months ago. His oldest friend swore he would be safe and well protected, he seemed to know something he wasn't telling. Just what was happening at Eques to make Methos take such a gamble, such a potentially public position?

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Yuzu sighed and sat on the window ledge, looking out over the city. Her big brothers' apartment was very nice, much nicer than the dorms at university or even their Father's quarters at the school. He had the best view out over New York out of all of them too. That didn't stop her missing home and their friends. She had wanted to come to school out here, but she knew she had been hoping Harry would appear one day. Maybe it was silly to hold out hope that he would see her as more than a friend…but she couldn't help it. She didn't care about his money or company, connections, none of it. She liked Harry because he was a wonderful person, he reminded her of Ichigo in some ways, though he smiled more than her brother. Ichigo did smile more these days, ever since the wedding, although the attack a few months back had made everyone very serious. She could see the gap in the skyline where the twin towers should be from where she was sitting and it was still horrifying to see.

Harry had to be coming back soon, right?

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Rosha threw herself into Martouf's arms as soon as it was allowed, and he caught her, holding her close, burying his face in her hair, inhaling her scent. "We feared the worst," he whispered before they parted enough to kiss softly.

"We are alright, thanks to Harry," she looked over to Harry who was also being allowed off the bed.

He looked over at the young man gratefully, "thank you."

"No problem at all. I wasn't going to leave anyone to die alone in space from lack of air."

He looked at Rosha when he heard that, and she smiled. "I promise, we are fine. Harry saw to our care." She could not bring herself to tell him exactly what had happened, and she knew Harry would not say anything without her permission.

"Then we owe you a great debt," Martouf offered since Lantash wanted to say it but they did not know if he knew who they really were.

"There is no debt, Martouf and?" he asked and Martouf blinked but relaxed, bowing his head as he stepped back.

"I am Lantash, you have my thanks, as well as Martouf's." He was happy that Harry did not flinch or react badly.

"You have ours as well." Garshaw announced as she entered.

"Supreme Commander Harry Potter of the Celerites Auallonia, may I introduce Grand Counsel Garshaw of Belote," Jolinar introduced them, hearing Rosha laugh at everyone's reactions to Harry's title.

Harry bowed slightly to the woman, "it is an honour to meet you ma'am."

"The Celerites Auallonia are a myth or long dead."

"No," He pulled up Excali'an's power, knowing his eyes were now the colour of the deepest blue oceans, pupil, iris and sclera, the mark of a Bearer and Knight. "The Knighthood fell to attack, but it was not destroyed." He drew Excalibur and allowed him to extend into sword form across his palms and Garshaw's eyes went wide in shock as she saw the legendary weapon, always wielded by the leader of the Celerites Auallonia, according to the legends.

Garshaw had never thought to see that blade herself, she'd half believed the Knighthood a myth, except...there were some systems the Goa'uld would still avoid, that myth said had been colonies of Avalon. She bowed in return of his bow of greeting, still in a little shock at meeting a person right out of legend. "It is an honour to meet you as well. Although I must ask, why have you come here? You did not need to personally escort Jolinar home."

"Actually, Rosha wanted to borrow Martouf while helping me with something."

The other Tok'ra looked at her and she smiled, clasping Martouf's hand in hers and he tucked her into his side. "Harry was going to drop me off one a planet with a Chappa'ai, Abydos was the closest. Unfortunately, mid-dial it was opened from the other end by Serpent guard. We killed them, and Harry disabled the gate permanently. Neither of us felt comfortable leaving the people to suffer Ra's wrath for that and so we evacuated the planet. A new planet has been chosen, but they know nothing of agriculture."

"And I do," Martouf finished for her and she nodded.

"I understand he is needed here but I am willing to offer an exchange," Harry added.

"What sort?" Yosuuf asked.

"Jolinar did not know the method I used to disable the Chappa'ai, I can teach you that. Or we can work something else out."

"I am not scheduled for a mission soon, and I would like to help," Martouf offered. Harry may say there was no debt between them but as far as he was concerned, he owed the other a debt that could never be repaid for saving his mates.

Garshaw hesitated but an alliance with the Knighthood could serve them well, who knew what assets he had access to…although myth said trying to use a Knight as a host was a very bad idea. "Very well, you are both assigned to aide Commander Potter in resettling the Abydonian's.

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Martouf could barely keep from staring around in awe at the ship, it was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was amusing to find Lantash just as shocked. He went to the bridge and watched as Harry sat in the chair, opening a subspace window and the ship was quickly underway. He was torn between exploring the ship and spending time with their mate after so long apart, Rosha happily made the decision for them and the four were hardly seen during the week's journey to the planet chosen for the Abydonian's. Once there Martouf studied the scans to pick the optimal place for a new settlement, they needed access to fresh water without the risk of flood and a lot a good soil for crops and places for animals to graze. Once that was done, they began transporting down equipment.

The new village went up quickly as Harry used the ship's resources to help fabricate the needed supplies. All three chipped in, helping to build and plough the soon-to-be fields. Harry made a few trips on Martouf's suggestion for different seed types as well as farming implements. Thankfully they were accustomed to hard work under an unrelenting sun, the cooler climate was a welcome change.

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Tony kept his face blank as Ziva insulted his skills again, no one standing up for him or stopping the Mossad liaison. She had taken Kate's place, and no one said a thing, even as she began picking apart the seams of the team. He smiled and said goodnight as the others left, claiming he was staying behind to finish up some paperwork. Once they were gone, he pulled an envelope out of his locked drawer and pulled out the letter, signing and dating it. He took his creds and gun out of the drawer and put it all on Gibbs desk, sending an email to HR as well. He packed up his personal belongings before going to clear out his locker as well before walking out of NCIS headquarters for the last time. He returned to his apartment and began packing what he wanted to take while informing his landlord he was leaving. He arranged for a company to collect his things and then headed for the train station after digging out his new identification. Anthony DiNozzo Jnr was done, he was now Tony Russo, 32yrs old, third generation American. Once on the train he used his new cell to call Methos and accept his offer.

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Harry stretched out before the fire, having chosen to remain on the planet tonight, after four months they had a pretty good village in place, although construction was ongoing. The materials being used were more advanced, as were the building techniques but the people were learning and adapting quickly. Harry and Rosha had begun teaching them how to read and write after the days' work, without further Goa'uld interference they hoped the people would begin to advance. If they could avoid the dark ages Terra had suffered, they could reach the stars in a thousand years or so on their own. Harry had launched several satellites in the system and in surrounding ones, he would know if any ship approached the planet. Jolinar and Lantash helped him with the ship, neither host could use the gene activated technology but there were plenty of other systems that still needed a lot of work.

"Harry?"

He opened his eyes and grinned at Shau'ri. "Hi." Thankfully they had gotten used to the language and the Abydonian's had begun picking up Goa'uld and English from Harry and the Tok'ra.

"I wish to speak with you," she sat before the fire, nervous.

"Of course, what about?"

"This planet is marvellous, our people will be happy here, but…I wish to go with you, to see more of the stars. I want to learn," she admitted, and Harry sat up.

"Shau'ri…do you really understand what you're asking? The galaxy is amazing but dangerous. And I am heading home to Terra, to fit in there you would have a lot to learn. What about your family?"

"I have spoken with Father, he is not entirely happy with the idea, but this is my choice. And he has already given me to you once," she smiled sadly. "I do not wish to live my life here, working the fields until Father chooses another husband for me and I have children."

"Who am I to say no, welcome to the crew," Harry grinned, and she relaxed, smiling back.

"Thank you," she kissed his cheek and went to the building her family was living in to sleep. Harry just stretched back out and went to sleep beneath the stars. He'd miss this place when they left, he'd come to care for the people and half wished he could stay with them.

Excali'an observed his Bearers dreams from a distance. He couldn't help comparing young Harry with his predecessor, Arthur. In some ways they were very different, Arthur had sought the Throne while Harry was avoiding it. Some lessons in Knighthood, Arthur had picked up quickly while Harry struggled with them, but he mastered skills that had given Arthur problems. Harry was growing quickly, but was it quick enough? It would take decades at least to learn everything, possibly centuries, and they simply didn't have the time. They knew Hydra had had the Tesseract, the Space Stone and where one infinity stone rested the hunters eventually came. And that wasn't considering the upcoming convergence. When they returned to Terra, they would have to attempt to contact the old allies, the Masters of the Mystic Arts, Wakanda…had any others survived the centuries? The Wizarding World wouldn't be much help, they had fragmented too much and become far too isolated from the world around them. They had stagnated while others flourished.

He had been tempted to nudge Harry towards the Masters as a child, but their magics came from other dimensions, Harry's was internal. He had never seen someone wield both though he did wonder if anyone had ever tried. The two sources of power were very different and were capable of very different things as well. Instead he had chosen to help Harry focus on things he knew his Bearer was capable of than possibly waste time.

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Harry nodded as Shau'ri joined them and then blinked as Skaara ran over, a bag slung over his shoulder. He sighed and shook his head, earning a chuckle form Martouf. Kasuf watched sadly but he allowed it, he loved his children very much and this was their choice. The five transported up to the Deserdi and Harry showed the siblings to their new quarters before getting the ship underway. After seven months the people had learnt a lot about agriculture and how to begin to grow as a community. The satellites would alert Harry of any major issues and the planet was not part of the Chappa'ai system the Goa'uld were aware of. They were as safe as possible without arming the colony and that they had agreed they would not do. The people were not ready for that sort of technology.

Shau'ri and Skaara settled in quickly, both had spent months learning everything they could about the Terran people, the language and history which to them was almost unbelievable. They wanted to be a part of the Knighthood, to help protect people so Harry had begun them with the same training he had once given his 'brothers'.

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"Guess this is it," Harry commented as they appeared over the planet that held the current Tok'ra base.

"We both have communicators Harry, this is not goodbye," Martouf assured him, it had felt odd at first having the device behind his ear but now it felt normal. He genuinely liked the young Commander, he thought it was much like having a younger brother.

"Right," he hugged Martouf and then Rosha and then Shau'ri and Skaara stepped forward to give their goodbyes as well.

"If you need help, call," Harry told the two and they nodded.

"We shall miss you Harry, stay safe," Jolinar spoke up and Harry nodded with a grin.

"I've got these two to keep me out of trouble," he answered before sending them down to the planet.

"What now Harry?" Skaara asked in excitement and Harry grinned.

"Home."

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Harry stripped down for what should be their last night sleeping on the ship, he was excited to finally be home but also already missing the freedom of being able to just set a course and go. He was just getting into bed when his door chimed, and he frowned but got up. "Enter."

Shau'ri entered his quarters and glanced around. "I am sorry to have disturbed you."

"There's no problem," he assured her. "What is it?" he asked gently, seeing her nervousness.

"Everything will change tomorrow. We will meet your people. Ever since I was old enough to understand, I feared the gods return, I knew what my role would be. My Father is a good man and I love him very much, but he is bound by tradition. Then you came and I am, was glad," she quickly corrected her English. "You were young and there was a kindness about you. That was more than I could have ever hoped for. And now I travel the stars and learn so much. You have changed my life so much Harry, I can never thank you enough for that," she whispered and then surprised him by leaning in and kissing him.

Harry froze before cautiously kissed back, not sure what to really do. He liked her, he really did, but…

Shau'ri pulled back and smiled. "And now I know, thank you Harry." She had hoped, she could not have asked for a better husband, but it was best to know now than hold onto false hope. "Will you act in my Father's stead should I find a Terran man I wish to marry?"

Harry relaxed as she asked, glad he hadn't broken her heart. He'd picked up on her attraction to him and while he loved her, it wasn't a romantic love. "Of course," he agreed. "I will make sure he's worthy of you Princess," he teased gently, and she whacked him softly. She was the chieftains daughter but that was not a title her people knew. She kissed his cheek and left his quarters to find Skaara waiting, she smiled and ruffled her brother's hair before going into her own quarters.

Skaara watched her go, sad for his sister. Harry would have made a good brother. He approved and so did their Father. He'd watched Shau'ri fall for the Terran and had hoped for her sake that it was mutual but for her to have emerged from his rooms it must not be.

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On the Dark Side of the Moon a subspace window opened, flashing purple against the black of space as a massive ship moved into normal space, well hidden from Earth by the bulk of the moon. On Earth in two locations communications boards lit up.

"Welcome home Commander," Merlin transmitted to the ship, shocked by the appearance of a ship type even he had believed long destroyed.

Harry blinked in shock. "Merlin!"

"It is good to meet you Sir, it is currently April 12th, 2002 by the American calendar and 1am here in Avalon. I have a full briefing prepared on the events you have missed. I admit to being surprised by the method of your return."

"Thanks to Heimdall and his list of coordinates."

"Even remaining in the shadow of the moon there is risk of discovery. I suggest placing the ship down on one of the moons of a gas giant, does the ship have an Astria Porta aboard?"

"No, but we have Gate Ships. We can use them to shuttle to and from for now," Harry offered, and Merlin nodded.

"Avalon awaits you, My King." With that, the AI vanished, and Harry grinned at the two watching Abydonian's.

"Let's get a move on." The three quickly grabbed their bags and got into one of the small ships once Harry had set the Deserdi's autopilot. Once they were clear the ship would perform a micro hyperspace trip to Jupiter. The ship had taken scans of the moon that Harry wanted a better look at too, something was off. Harry piloted the ship towards Terra, following the beacon to the Southern hemisphere and the South Pacific Ocean, thankful the ship could cloak which meant he didn't need to worry about being detected.

Shau'ri and Skaara were in awe of the massive amount of water, not even their new home had so much. As they got closer an island finally appeared before them, the lagoon glowing in welcome. Harry brought the ship down, rings rising up around them, depositing them in the ship dock. They then left the ship and Merlin appeared in front of them, dressed in flowing blue and silver robes. He was tall and lithe with short dark brown hair and striking silvery blue eyes, his age impossible to tell. As Harry stepped forward Merlin bowed to him and around them the lights came on, revealing a mass of ships in various states of repair inside a massive room that seemed to go on forever.

"Welcome, High King Harry, to Avalon," Merlin greeted, studying the young man he had only seen in recordings and Morgana's memory before.

"Why didn't you contact me before?" Harry asked in confusion and Merlin smiled.

"You were not yet ready. Come, your quarters are prepared." They followed him to one of the internal transporters, appearing quickly in another corridor. "As Supreme Commander of Avalon and High King of Albion these are yours," a door opened, and Harry nodded. "The rooms in this corridor are historically for other Bearers and dignitaries and all have been made ready. Two more doors opened, and the group split up to explore.

Harry found a massive room done in soft blues and silver. There was a desk to the right, seating around the space as well, for entertaining and a small dining table. At the back of the main room there was a circular hole in the floor which was filling with water even as he watched, and he grinned. Excali'an had often told him of the healing waters of Avalon, a good soak in that tub could replace eight hours of sleep and make you feel refreshed and relaxed. Through a curtained arch was the bedroom with an impressive sized bed, a wardrobe and separate bathroom. Harry was relieved to find it behind a door, when Avalon had been built privacy wasn't really a thing after all.

He went back into the main room and found a fabricator lit up. He let it scan him for measurements and then a selection screen activated, and he found the uniform he had never dreamed of being able to wear. It consisted of a black and silver jacket, a dark grey under shirt, and black pants. The jacket had a double-breasted front opening with a dark grey panel, silver embroidered trim, platinum rank bars, and a mandarin collar. The pants had a hidden fly front, that sealed without a zipper or buttons, just like the jacket, and a belt with insignia buckle, showing the crest of Avalon. Over it all went a sleeveless vest that fell to his knees with a single rank bar on the breast since the one on the jacket was covered. It had silver trim like the rest of the uniform, although the vest was usually only worn for formal or ceremonial situations. He set the uniform to being fabricated as well as two causal, modern outfits, and stripped out of his clothes, putting them in place to be cleaned, before sinking into the hot water and sighing in pleasure as his muscles relaxed. He would worry about things tomorrow, for now it was just good to be home on Earth, Terra, Tau'ri, Midgard…whatever name was used it was home.

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Harry took time dressing in his uniform for the first time, Excali'an's dagger on his belt and his blaster in its holster. It may not be the proper name for the weapon, but it wasn't like it had come with a label attached. He also had a Zat'nik'tel in a holster at the small of his back under his vest. He tied his hair back and straightened his shoulders, staring at his image in shock. He hadn't paid much attention to mirrors since leaving Terra. He was six foot and while still slimly built he had put on more muscle than he was used to seeing, he'd grown into his height. He shook his head and left his quarters and went to the transporter, bringing up the screen to search for the command centre. He stepped in and was soon in another massive room, this one with a blank screen taking up one whole wall. There were various stations around the room along with a few tables.

"Good morning Commander," Merlin greeted as he shimmered into being.

"Good morning Merlin, let's get to work."

TBC….

Brief NCIS appearances in this chapter. Also, Merlin's appearance is based off Merlin in the TV show that was on a few years ago.