Chapter Ten Summary: On Abydos, Sha'uri is very obviously pregnant. Kasuf is upset when he learns that the demon still lives within her. Daniel assures both of them that it won't be that way for much longer. Their allies know how to remove a Symbiote. Leaving a 'gift' from Heru'Ur behind for Kasuf to present to Apophis, to both protect Kasuf and the Abydonians, and cause even more strife between Apophis and Heru'Ur, they make their escape even as another ship enters the atmosphere.

"Italics" – Symbiote-Host Communications

An Alliance of Friends

Chapter Ten

Rescue

The entire group had changed into BDUs and were sitting around comfortably, even as they were concerned about what they might find awaiting them on Abydos. Jolinar and Sam were both resting, neither of them seeming to be particularly troubled, but then it was hard to tell with the Tok'Ra. They'd laid their plans, and there was no point in worrying over them now. They'd studied them over and over, as they planned the mission. They'd taken each and every scenario that either of them could think of, as well as any possibilities the others brought to light, into consideration and planned out responses to each event in case one of them occurred. There was little more that they could do at this point except to rest and be ready for whatever might be thrown their way.

The shipwright had been induced to take some rest, as there was still a good twelve hours before they reached Abydos. He still felt dazed over all that he had been told and learned. He finally believed that he was now free to do exactly as he chose. The options they laid before him gave him much to think about as well. He watched the Tok'Ra, Jolinar/Samantha, and studied them carefully. As he listened to them and the others talking, he soon realized that the two were truly sharing Samantha Carter's body and working together. He found the entire idea intriguing, and the idea of fighting against the Goa'uld pulled at him.

He was not a soldier, but a Tok'Ra would be. He would learn. He would like to remain with Jolinar/Samantha though, if he did blend, at least until he felt more confident. He wondered what the chances of that would be. After another conversation with Samantha Carter, he was very sure that he could be a very big help to them, if they would allow him to join the Tau'ri. So of the options given to him, he was torn between two of them. Both appealed equally to him. He would just have to wait and see how things worked out. There was no point in trying to make a decision now. Soon, he was asleep, and for the first time in a long time, he slept deeply and without fear.

Sam and Jolinar watched as Daniel paced in circles around the room. While everyone else was relaxing, he was getting more nervous and strung out with each passing moment. Finally, they sighed, stood up, and walked over to him.

"Okay, Daniel, I think you've carved enough ruts in the floor for now. Come sit down and rest for a little while. It's almost time to change back into our other clothes. All of the Jaffa symbols have been changed already, both the Colonel and Jolinar and I have been disguised so none of the people on Abydos will recognize us, and we've gone over our plans again, so getting redressed is the only thing left to do. Come on. Sit." Sam motioned to the side of the room where she had been relaxing.

He followed her back and lowered himself to the floor. "I'm scared that she isn't there, Sam. What if we are wrong? What if the mission is pointless? How do I cope with that?"

Sam sighed deeply. She had very much feared that this would happen. She took his hand in hers and looked at him, sympathy showing in her eyes. "Then we keep looking, Daniel. We keep trying. You know that Jolinar doesn't know for sure that she is there…but, she does believe that she is. We'll just have to see what happens when we get there."

"As for the mission being a waste if she isn't there, that may be true, but the entire mission is not a waste. We've set Sokar and Cronus at each other's throats. That needed to be accomplished. Hopefully, if Sha'uri is on Abydos, we will succeed at setting another two of the major players against one another, thereby keeping Sokar from becoming Supreme System Lord."

Daniel's head dropped back against the wall. "I know you're right, Sam, I just want to get there and get this over with. The not knowing is what's killing me. I guess I just can't believe that she might actually be there, and yet I know I'll be very disappointed if she isn't."

Sam squeezed the hand that she held. "I know, Daniel. We'll be there for you, though, if things don't work out. We won't give up trying to find and capture her. I promise and so does Jolinar."

Daniel smiled briefly, telling her, "I know, Sam, and I appreciate it. All of it, even if it proves to be that she isn't there. You and Jolinar worked hard to get this mission up, and you've taken most of the risks so far. Let's hope the second half of the mission won't be as dangerous."

Sam smiled at him, answering, laconically, "Well, the only real threat is if someone else is there when we arrive, or arrives before we leave. Let's hope that neither of those things takes place."

Looking around Sam realized that the soldiers were beginning to change into their Jaffa uniforms. The servants were now armed and it looked a little incongruous to see the women in their flowing skirts holding P-90s. She grinned and heard Daniel laugh softly beside her. "Yeah, it does look pretty weird and out of place, doesn't it, Sam? This takes the hand of steel in a velvet glove to an all new level."

Standing, Sam smiled down at him, not even fazed that he had almost read her mind. "Yes. It does. Velvet and lace covering something dangerous and deadly. Maybe we should try that as a battle tactic sometime," she quipped. Daniel could tell though that her comment hadn't all been in jest. He stood up and nodded to her. "Come on, Daniel, it's time to go change. The women need to change into their Jaffa gear as well. It's all find and good for them to wander around the ship in velvet dresses, but if we need back-up for some odd reason, they have to be able to come out fighting. They're our last defense. If it wasn't for the fact that you never see female Jaffa fighting, I'd take them with us as we go. I just hope we don't need them to come out of hiding." Frowning, she added, "Have you decided whether to go as Jaffa or not?"

Daniel groaned. "No, I still don't know what would be better."

Sam paused as she listened to Jolinar, telling her, "Samantha, I wonder if our shipwright would care to lend Daniel his robes? They are very like those worn by a Jaffa priest, so would not look out of place. Once we are on Abydos and confront her, I am quite sure that Sha'uri would feel more comfortable with Daniel looking more normal, even though he will be surrounded by guards. Except for Sha'uri and Kasuf, the people must believe that we are sent from Heru'Ur. That is the main reason we decided to keep the women inside the Alkesh, unless there is a dire emergency. Seeing women Jaffa, although there are some, would make them very suspicious, as well as alerting Apophis to something being "off" about Kasuf's story, if he questioned any of them. He would know that Heru'Ur does not have female Jaffa. One of our main concerns was that most of the people would recognize Daniel. If we use the robes, he can hide his face until we are alone with Kasuf and Sha'uri. We should have considered this solution before now and why we did not I do not know." Jolinar frowned before reiterating, "We must keep Daniel from being recognized, and since we want both Kasuf and Sha'uri to recognize him, it is best if he is not disguised. We must hope that Kasuf's people see us as nothing except Jaffa and an underling of Heru'Ur's."

"I think that is a very good idea, Jolinar. Let's run it by Daniel and then talk to K'haydan. Turning back toward Daniel, after listening to Jolinar she told him, "Jolinar thinks that we should see if K'haydan will loan you his robes. We don't think the people should see you. It would be bad if any of them saw you. We can only hope that Kasuf can keep them from saying anything about us to Apophis if they do recognize any of us."

Daniel nodded, after he gave the situation some quick thought. "I'll go see him, Sam. I have a feeling it won't be a problem."

"Okay, go ahead. Come back as soon as you can and we will go over the plans one more time."

"I'll be back shortly."

Daniel re-entered the room, now completely covered, and unidentifiable. They nodded in approval. They would soon drop out of hyperspace over Abydos. Sam and Jolinar walked to the center of the room and called for everyone's attention going over the plans one more time. After setting the ship into an orbit around Abydos, they left the few personnel that were now responsible for it behind, and the group made their way to an Alkesh. Teal'c would bring a second Alkesh from the other ship, and they would land near where Daniel pointed out what should be Kasuf's tent.

The Al'kesh's communications came alive and Teal'c could be heard, telling them, "Our unit is aboard the Alkesh and ready to deploy on your order, my Lord."

"Excellent. We shall go now. Opening the bay doors. We are away. Follow closely."

"I will do so, my Lord."

Standing beside Sam, Daniel watched the information come across in front of them. There were no ships presently on the planet's surface. He found himself holding his breath and forced himself to breathe. He quickly scanned the surface as visual contact was made.

"There! There, Sam, the large tent on the end over there. That should be Kasuf's."

"Good, there appears to be plenty of space to set both of the Al'kesh down very close to it. Let's do it."

Jolinar easily guided the ship to a place extremely close to the tent. People could be seen hurrying to get under cover. No one appeared to wish an audience with the System Lord, if it was he and if it was some other Lord, they did not want to know. "Good. I hope they have enough sense to stay away," Sam whispered to Jolinar. "I hope the young boys don't attempt to fight us. I doubt they do, but one never knows. We've had incredible luck so far. I just hope it continues to hold."

Jolinar chuckled, "I agree, my Sam. We have been very fortunate." The Al'kesh softly set down upon the surface of Abydos. Jolinar took control and headed to the doors. Teal'c would meet them outside as they exited the ship. She signaled to the soldier at the controls and the doors slid open just as Teal'c and his smaller band of Jaffa reached the end of the ramp. Without so much as a word, they all turned and headed for the large tent that sat the nearest to them.

Teal'c and Jack entered first with their weapons drawn and ready. Teal'c demanded that the extra people present leave immediately. Kasuf stood frozen not knowing what to do. Why was this System Lord here? What did they want? He glanced over to Sha'uri where she stood stirring what would soon be their evening meal.

Sha'uri had a very good idea of why they had come. They were here for her and she knew that there was no way that she could fight them. It was still two months before the child was due. She could only hope that nothing terrible would happen to her or the child. Apophis would be furious; these Jaffa were from Heru'Ur one of his deadliest enemies. Pretending that she believed she was also to leave, she made her way toward the entrance only to be stopped by his First Prime. She was prodded toward her father and he pulled her against him.

Once Kasuf and Sha'uri were the only two people in the tent other than them, Teal'c signaled for Jolinar and Daniel to come forward. As she stepped between him and Jack, Teal'c said simply, "My Lord," giving no other information. It was obvious that this was not Heru'Ur, but a highly placed underling.

"What may we do for you, my Lord?" Kasuf's voice was unwavering, but there was fear in his eyes.

"Amaunet will come with us. Heru'Ur wishes to see her," Jolinar spoke loudly enough that anyone lingering nearby would be able to hear her. She did not believe that would happen as she had ordered the perimeter guarded and there were now Jaffa standing around the entire area.

Sha'uri shook her head helplessly and looked pleadingly at her father. It was clear that he, too, felt there was nothing that he could do, however at her pleading look, he made as if to step forward. "Do nothing foolish, Kasuf. Not everything is as it appears, nor do you know everything, yet. I have brought someone with whom you will wish to speak." Jolinar indicated that Jack and Teal'c should step back and allow Daniel to come forward.

He stepped in front of Kasuf, even though he wanted only to pull Sha'uri into his arms and reassure her that everything was fine. Throwing back the hood of his robes, Daniel bowed slightly and told the stunned man, "Good Father, I bring greetings from Earth. I have come for Sha'uri, to take her back there to safety. She is being hunted even as we speak and the next to find her will not be gentle or kind." He paused but quickly continued, as it appeared that they were about to answer him, "Speak very softly, for none but us must know where she has been taken. They will not give up searching, but none will look to the Tau'ri."

"Dan'yel?" Sha'uri gave a strangled sob as he pulled her into his arms at last.

"Yes, I promise you that it is me, Sha'uri. You will be safe; I swear to you that you will be safe now."

Jolinar gave control to Sam and Kasuf stepped back as her eyes glowed, but he relaxed slightly when he heard Sam's voice, "Kasuf, it's me, Samantha Carter. Yes, I have a Symbiote, but not a hostile one. I can give you no other information about that, and I am sorry. Colonel O'Neill, Teal'c, and our soldiers are just outside. Please listen carefully as our time is short. We can't afford to be caught here. You must remember what I am going to tell you, do you understand?"

He nodded as he continued to stare at her. "All right. This is what must happen. No one other than you must know who took Sha'uri. We will leave you proof that it was Heru'Ur and you must show it to Apophis or any other, well except Heru'Ur, that comes looking for her. It is imperative that only you know where she is being taken. As far as your people know, Heru'Ur took her. As far as any System Lords know, he took her. Should Heru'Ur come for her, you will tell him that Apophis came for her."

Turning from Sha'uri, Daniel added, "It's rather complicated, Kasuf, but we must take Sha'uri now. The Goa'uld within her sleeps, while she is with child, therefore, we can take her without fighting Amaunet."

Kasuf frowned, still not sure of what was happening, or what would happen to his daughter. "But what will happen to her, Dan'yel? She will be with you, yes?"

Daniel sighed and shook his head, telling both he and Sha'uri softly, "I will not lie to you. It will not all be pleasant. She will be interrogated and once the child is born, if we have not managed to extract the Goa'uld, then she will be put in a cell…a room where the Goa'uld cannot hurt anyone. We do know that it can be extracted; however we aren't in a position to have it done right away."

Kasuf's frown deepened. "You wish for information from her, so you will not release her right away. You will not be kind to her."

Daniel shook his head. "No, Kasuf. That is not true. As I said, it is complicated, but let us try to explain. Yes, we want the information, but that we will attain quickly and it is not the reason we will not remove the Goa'uld right away." He looked to Sam and watched as her eyes glowed.

Jolinar turned to Kasuf, explaining as much as she felt necessary to him, "My people know how to extract the Goa'uld. Unfortunately, I have no memory of where my people are now. They move often and I have lost some vital information concerning them and where they are. It is returning to me slowly, and as soon as I remember what I need to know, we will take her there and remove it, I promise you. I hope that it happens before Amaunet awakes, for then Sha'uri will not be parted from Daniel at all. However, I cannot promise you that I will regain what I need before the child is born, and we will not lie to you as to the consequences of that happening. Should the Goa'uld awaken, then she would have to be isolated to protect others from her. That is the worst that can happen, and we can still make her comfortable, even within a room. She will have what she needs…food, clothing, a bed, warmth…she will not be ill-treated even after Amaunet returns."

Her eyes glowed once more and Sam came forward assuring him, "She is telling the truth, Kasuf. We would not lie to you. Yes, some of the questioning could be uncomfortable, but she will not be harmed in any way, and we must hope that we can remove Amaunet before we have to take Sha'uri's freedom from her."

"Good Father, if you do not allow us to take her, then you are sentencing her to a life with Apophis and Amaunet. I believe our way is better," Daniel spoke softly but firmly.

"Sha'uri? What do you wish to do, my daughter?"

"I wish to go with them. I do not want to go back and be with Apophis or some other System Lord, if they should find me first. I will go with my Dan'yel."

Kasuf bowed his head and sighed. Once more, he was losing his daughter; however, he also realized that if she did not go with Dan'yel, he would lose her permanently to the demon inside her. He finally nodded his agreement, telling her, "Go. You are correct. You must become free of the demon, and Dan'yel is our only hope. Go quickly." Kasuf drew her into his arms and sighed once more before pushing her toward Dan'yel.

Daniel smiled at him slightly. "She will be well cared for, I promise you." He turned from Kasuf and asked Sha'uri, "Do you need to gather anything?"

Feeling increasingly nervous, Sha'uri shook her head, before answering, "No, I have nothing except the clothing I arrived in and I do not want them."

Sam felt some of the tension leave her. Looking to Daniel, she nodded once and then turned to Kasuf, reminding him, "Don't forget what we told you. It must be believed that Heru'Ur took her."

Kasuf bowed slightly, "It shall be as you say."

Jolinar came forward and signaled to Daniel to pull up his robe. Looking at Sha'uri, she told her, "Teal'c will carry you. You must pretend that you are unconscious otherwise; you would have to struggle against us. Being unconscious will prove much less tiring for both you and Teal'c."

Without so much as pausing she raised her voice, "Jaffa, Kree!" As they entered the tent, she told Teal'c, "Carry her. She is unconscious." Teal'c nodded and picked her up. Sha'uri immediately allowed her arms to become limp and her head to loll back onto Teal'c's shoulders. With a slight nod to Kasuf, they turned and left the tent. Upon reaching the Alkesh, Teal'c allowed Sha'uri to stand before leaving and entering the other ship.

Without any further discussion, they left Abydos behind. As they approached their respective ships, the bay doors opened and the Al'keshes landed gently. Jolinar immediately left. Taking the controls, she called to Teal'c, "Leave as soon as you are ready."

"That would be now." Teal'c opened a window and disappeared with Jolinar right behind him. However, just before entering it, she saw another mothership drop out of hyperspace. They had retrieved Sha'uri without a moment to spare.

Daniel and Sha'uri stood beside her. "That was almost too close. Another few seconds and we would have been in a fire fight."

"Without a doubt, Daniel. Without a doubt."

"Did you see who it was?"

"I believe it was Apophis. No doubt, he's been informed that Heru'Ur was getting close to finding her. Such a shame that he arrived too late to intercept him."

Daniel grinned. Damn, she was good. The cat was amongst the pigeons now. There were at least four System Lords that should be fully occupied for quite some time to come. He gave Sha'uri a gentle squeeze and smiled down at her. "Let's go catch some sleep. We have a long ride home." Sam smiled as they left.

"How is our Goa'uld doing, Dr. Fraiser?"

Janet Fraiser shook her head. "He's almost completely healed, General. Even though I've seen healing in Teal'c, it always amazes me to see it happen. When we first looked at him, I would have almost sworn he wouldn't make it. Now, I don't think there will even be scars."

General Hammond nodded. "How has he responded to everything? How aggressive has he been?"

"He hasn't been aggressive at all, but he won't answer any questions. We haven't had to restrain him, although the guards are always there. The only thing he has done is ask where he is and which System Lord is in charge. I've told him that there is no System Lord on this world, but I haven't told him where he is. I swear no one told him anything, but somehow he figured it out. Either he is very intelligent, or he overheard someone talking, although, I made it very clear to my staff that we weren't to discuss anything around him, so I assume he is just that intelligent."

"Well, no one ever said that the Goa'uld were stupid. Arrogant as hell, yes, but not stupid. So where is it that he believes he is?"

"The only thing he said about it was when I told him there were no System Lords ruling here. Then he kind of sighed in a resigned way and said, 'This must be the world of the Tau'ri, then. Very well.' After that the only things he has said are good morning, good night, and thank you. Oh, and he requested to use the shower, which we allowed, since there didn't really seem to be a reason not to. He is in BDU's and sitting by his bed. He can be transferred to a cell if that's what you are going to do."

General Hammond nodded, "Thank you, Dr. Fraiser. Yes, we'll transfer him to a holding cell now that you've given the all clear about his health. I notified the President and asked him to wait until Captain Carter and Jolinar return before Maybourne is notified. I'm hoping that Jolinar can identify him and tell us a little bit about him. Unfortunately, I found out that the three of us, that is myself, Colonel O'Neill, and Captain Carter are required to be in Washington the day after tomorrow, assuming they've returned. Her meeting with him will have to be postponed until we return. The President agreed to wait until after she gets a chance to talk with him.

"Have you any ideas as to what we should do? It is obvious that we will not be able to leave this facility until we answer their questions…which is impossible to do since we are not Goa'uld. If we wish to leave, we may have to explain who and what we are."

"No. We will tell them nothing. While I do not believe they are enemies, neither do I believe that we should tell them about us. It is my belief that whether we are Goa'uld or not, the fact that I am a symbiote will ensure that we are interrogated and perhaps even experimented upon, regardless what we tell them. They will see no difference between us and the Goa'uld. They will not trust us, nor will they lose this chance to find out more about us. Fortunately, I do not believe that they have the technology to enter our minds although they may have drugs that will attempt to loosen our tongues. If the drugs used so far are an indication, I should be able to neutralize anything they give to us. Assuming they do not put me to sleep first. Should they have a drug that affects the symbiote, but not the host, it would be most unfortunate. However, I do not think that they do. If one of us is put into a sleep state, the other shall be as well."

"That, at least, is good to know. They do not appear to be oppressive in their incarceration methods, although I will reserve judgment about their interrogation techniques for now."

"Yes, caution is probably best. I heard someone mention a 'Captain Carter' and that he would be the one to question us. It seems that he is away on a mission at the moment, and so, for now anyway, it seems we are being left alone."

His host gave a noncommittal grunt in answer. "I suppose that is a good thing, although we may die of boredom before he returns."

"At least the food is edible and plentiful. As cells and captors go this is probably the best we have ever encountered in our many sojourns in such places. There are no gareevles in the bread and there is sufficient water and even facilities. Almost luxurious in comparison to say, Apophis's dungeons."

A laugh greeted his last statement. "I must agree. I suppose a lack of anything to do is better than simply lying still, while you once more heal the results of the last session of torture. I will attempt to be more grateful."

"And so you should be. And if worse comes to worst, we will simply sleep most of the time."

"I think that is an excellent idea. After all, there are not even blocks or tiles to count. I suppose we could sing to one another or recite poetry, but neither appeal at the moment."

"Too true. Let us nap. Perhaps our dreams will give us a solution to our dilemma. One can always hope."

"All right, Lantash. I will wish you pleasant and constructive dreams."

"The same to you, Martouf." Martouf laid back on the 'bunk' and put his hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. No doubt, Lantash was correct. They might as well rest up for whatever lay ahead of them. And it would pass the time.

Jolinar sat at the controls and watched the silver of hyperspace as they passed. In a few hours they would reach the Alpha site. She hoped that General Hammond had not forgotten to alert them to their possible arrival. So far, this mission had gone very well, and she did not want it to end up badly. She sighed. The General was very efficient. She really should not worry about such things, as there was really little doubt but that he had taken care of it.

Recognizing the approaching footsteps, she asked quietly, "What can I do for you, Colonel O'Neill? Is there a problem?"

"No. No, problem. Everyone is asleep, but I'm not really tired yet. I think I dozed for a while, just enough to keep me awake now."

She nodded. "I know what you mean, Colonel. It is often difficult to sleep during a mission, even though one knows one needs to be rested to perform at their best. Luckily, we do not require anywhere near the amount of sleep that a human does, and can stay up for long periods if need be. Still after a while, lack of rest can impair our abilities as well."

O'Neill slid into the seat next to her and nodded. "We're trained to sleep anywhere, anytime, but sometimes that just isn't possible." He paused for a moment before clearing his throat and adding, "That's not the reason I came over, though, and the mission isn't what is keeping me from sleeping." He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, as if to relieve some tension that was residing there, before looking back at her and giving a wry smile. "The truth is that I…I wanted to tell you that you and Carter did a great job with this mission. It went like clockwork. Not only did we get two motherships, Alkesh, and death gliders, we got Daniel's wife back. Thank you for that, for all of it."

"You are welcome, Colonel. As for the ease of the mission, the truth is that we were very close to failing at least twice. The first was when I forgot I would need the passwords in order to access the ships. He could well have refused to allow us access until he contacted Cronus. When Sam mentioned that he was looking at me strangely and seemed to be expecting something, it reminded me. You must thank her for noticing and telling me. The second was our rescue of Sha'uri. Apophis's dropping out of hyperspace just as we entered it showed us just how close to being caught we were. Another thirty seconds on the surface and we would have found ourselves in a battle with Apophis. That is not something I wished to face with a ship that had yet to be battled tested."

"Yeah, looking back at it like that I guess we did just kind of squeak by, but you know what they say, "A miss is as good as a mile"."

"Very true, Colonel. I am just thankful that we managed to make it out before he realized what had occurred. If we are lucky, he did not get much of a glimpse of us and since we have no outward markings, it would be difficult to trace to anyone. No doubt, he now believes that it was Heru'Ur, and that is a very good thing. That he came so close to preventing Sha'uri's 'abduction' will anger him very much further. I will watch with great interest to see what develops."

O'Neill grinned at her, stating, "I'm kind of looking forward to watching what happens, too. If we're lucky, it will be enough to keep them occupied for a long time."

She watched as he yawned, and when he looked at her, she told him, "You should attempt to sleep again, Colonel O'Neill. We will arrive at the Alpha site within the next three hours. You have time for another nap."

He nodded. "Yeah, maybe you're right." Standing, he stretched and yawned again. "See you in a couple of hours, then."

"Sleep well, Colonel. I will rouse everyone in two and a half hours. That will leave you thirty minutes before we arrive."

"Sounds good to me. See you then."

She gave him a smile and turned back to focus once again on her controls. There was nothing to do; however, it was best if someone continued to check for any problems. Soon, they would be back at the SGC. She was actually looking forward to it. Even though she often missed the soothing blues of the tunnels, Earth was becoming her home. She was glad for the more content she was the more peaceful her Samantha would feel. Yes, it would be good to get home.

TBC