thanks for all the reviews!

chapter 14

Bashaak was a proud warrior.

When he had been given the task of protecting his master, while he worked on the device here on this planet, Bashaak had thought it a reward for his ruthlessness in battle. It had been 6 days since his master had left through the chappa'ai.

As time passed and the sandstorms persisted, his warriors slowly began to disappear.

He had started to think he was being punished by his god and master. He had even considered abandoning his post with his men. And so it was, that after 3 more of his best men vanished in the storms, he ordered the remainder of his squad to assemble at the chappa'ai. He would input the symbols home and request permission to return. That's was when they had come through.

It was too much of a coincidence. It was a test. He was sure. One that he would not fail…

He was determined to interrogate these humans and get his men back before their master returned.

Had he not served his god well? Why then would they not give in and tell him what he wanted? He thought as he stared at the crumpled form of the female captive at his feet. It had been almost a full day and these hasshak had proven stronger than he had predicted.

Or perhaps, they really didn't know anything?

They were getting weak. The female would die soon. He and his underlings had traded places many times between the 2 humans. She had tried to fight back with everything she had and her punches met its mark with staggering accuracy. There was a measured skill there and he would admit she could best any of his men one to one were they to meet in battle. However outnumbered, eventually, she stopped fighting and accepted her fate.

Why would she not just tell him what he wanted to know? Surely she must be hiding something? He thought in disgust. Her failure to beg for her life only strengthened this belief. No, the more he pushed, the greater the reward would be.

The male had proven an even worse subject, with his constant inane remarks. Bashaak suspected they were meant to infuriate. At first he had thought that the man would be more forthcoming after following through on his threat, but he had seriously miscalculated. This human was dangerous. He could feel it even with him lying on the floor covered in his own blood. Even while holding the pain stick against his chest and hearing him scream in agony. The look in his eyes said it all.

No, he would not make that mistake again. He would tread very carefully when it came to this human.

The familiar sound of stone grinding against stone filled the room. Bashaak knew without looking that it was the device his master had been working on. The stone pedestal was activating. No doubt there would be a sandstorm outside. He watched as the sound roused the women and she weakly lifted her head to look at the device.

"It's the…the machine" she said through cracked lips. These were the first words from her since she had been dragged into this room. She closed her eyes apparently exhausted. He gently nudged her face with the tip of his boot. Her eyes opened, she seemed to look past him for a moment.

"Speak human"

"the machine… that's what's happening to your men… I didn't understand before…I thought it was random… but there's a… a pattern " she spoke slowly her speech somewhat slurred, As though she was struggling to organise her thoughts. "hard to explain… makes a portal… takes you far... far away…"

Convenient. What did these humans think he was? Now she was inventing this story? Of a device that, what? Made people vanish? He had thought her mind past able to fabricate such a deception.

Hadn't his master told him it was not possible? Then why did he leave? And why had he not returned?

….

Hours later… after the sandstorm had subsided. His god, Ishkur arrived. He felt the shame of his doubt wash over him… surely he would be punished. But his god had been surprised at the news of the strange human arrivals. How could a true god be surprised at anything?

"Give them water, let them rest. I want their minds clear when I speak with them." he said.

When it became clear that neither human would wake up soon, Ishkur used his healing device on the man. Bashaak watched his god bestow his mercy. He thought it a mistake. But he knew better than to question him. He would not say anything of value only more of the same meaningless drivel. It was then that he ordered him be taken in to see the women.

The man's eyes fell on her prone form. That's when the danger returned. It was seething beneath the surface.

Unaware of the change in their captive, Ishkur continued. "I can heal her, like I did with you. All you have to do is tell me why you have come here and what you know of the device."

But Ishkur had underestimated the man. He had not fallen for the false promise like so many before him. Instead he had grabbed the zat'nik'tel from the jaffa who was meant to guard him and shot Ishkur twice in the chest. Then with a speed inconsistent with that of a man that had been tortured he sprinted forward and took cover behind the stone pedestal. Bashaak's warriors opened fire with their staff weapons. After a few tense moments of back and forth shooting with staff blasts sorely missing their target, merely glancing off the stone walls behind him and electric blue energy finding its mark, taking down Jaffa after Jaffa as they unsuccessfully bottlenecked at the entrance to the small chamber allowing the man to pick them off one by one.

The battle lulled as neither side gained any ground… the smoke from the staff weapons slowly dissipated and Bashaak could see 3 of his warriors lying just inside the chamber. He had seen 2 of them take more than one hit and new for sure those men were dead. He dared a glimpse deeper into the chamber and saw his god Ishkur lying face down on the stone floor, unmoving. How could a god be dead?

"hey, you guys out there… you think that's your god? He's dead! No one else has to die… why don't you just put down your weapons and we can all go home"

"We may yet be able to revive him" whispered Bashaak's companion. This warrior had been by his side for many years.

"Why would we want to revive him?" he whispered back.

"Shol'va" he spat in response but Bashaak pulled at his breastplate urgently.

"Don't you see? He is not a god!" and Bashaak paused for the briefest moment as if expecting to be struck down then continued "we could be free, all of us together. Join the warriors of the Sodan."

"The Sodan are a myth"

"Even so" he turned to the rest of his men " we could find a place of our own we could become the legend ourselves"

He searched the faces of the men around him. They were loyal to him. "We could leave this place behind and go back home claim our families and take them with us."

A/N: the goa'uld mentioned above was alive about 5 millenia ago. his current whereabouts are unknown according to stargate wiki.

now, with that out of the way, please review!