Chapter Twenty-four Summary: O'Neill and Teal'c are still hurtling through space. Daniel, Sam and Martouf contact Jacob and Selmak, but as they discuss why they are there, Jaffa enter the warehouse and immediately see them. Jacob, Sam, and Daniel escape, however, Martouf is captured and taken before the Goa'uld Apollo. Lantash betrayed him several years before, and he is thrilled to have captured one half of them. Thanks to Daniel's suggestion, Sam makes her way into the Palace and rescues him. They now must find and save the two trapped in the glider before time runs out for them.

Mer Prinekh – My Lifemate; used by both host and symbiote as a term of endearment to the other.

"Italics" – Symbiote-Host Communications

A Path Not Taken

Chapter Twenty-four

A Rescue

Martouf tried to kick off the Jaffa that had tripped him, but he was not strong enough. As he had so often in these last few months, he cursed being a weak symbiote-less human and wished Lantash was there with him.

He fought valiantly, but his resistance was ultimately futile. The Jaffa jumped off him just as one of his companions shot him with a zat'nik'tel, and he lost consciousness.

Martouf awoke slowly, feeling groggy and sore from the zat'nik'tel shot. He'd open his eyes and see where he was in a minute, although he was fairly sure he knew. He wasn't surprised to hear the voice of a Jaffa.

"The Tau'ri scum is awake," A harsh voice said.

"Good, our Lord wishes to see him immediately," Another Jaffa answered.

Martouf looked up to see he was in a holding cell. The door was opened as two large Jaffa entered. They grabbed an arm each, and began dragging him out of the cell.

"Time for you to meet your god Apollo, slave!" One of them said, grinning viciously.

Martouf sighed to himself, knowing very well what would happen. Apollo would recognize him, and he would not be pleased to see him. Or perhaps he would, Martouf seemed to remember the Goa'uld promising Lantash retribution, for his many crimes against Apollo, not the least of which was betraying the Goa'uld…and turning out to be Tok'Ra. Fortunately, they had managed to escape that time. This time, he did not believe that he would be so lucky. No, he would not be nearly as lucky. He doubted very much that the Goa'uld would decide against punishing him, despite him not being host to Lantash right now. Lantash. He missed his symbiote so much, though he was happy he would not have to suffer the coming torture with him.

The focus of his thoughts shifted. At least Samantha, Charesh, and the others were safe. And the torture could not last too long. After all, Jacob had explosives set. Soon the entire area would be nothing more than a memory…and so would he. He sighed once more. Perhaps he should have confessed to Samantha that he loved her…and now Charesh. His lips firmed. No. No, it was better that they never knew. This way perhaps, they would not mourn for long. The mourning for a friend was painful, but not nearly as painful as that for a loved one…a lover. It was definitely better this way.

Meanwhile, Sam, Jacob, and Daniel had managed to reach the safety of Jacob's cloaked scout ship.

"We have to go back for Martouf," Sam urged.

Jacob nodded. "Of course, but if we just storm in there, without a plan, we'll just be overpowered and caught. Unfortunately, Apollo isn't as stupid as one could hope and wish."

Sam felt a cold fear that her…no, she wouldn't go there. Not now. Okay, then, she feared that her—very dear friend—would be killed, before they could rescue him. It wasn't many months since he'd been near death after the za'tarc incident—she couldn't bear the thought of losing him now. What would Lantash say, if she had to admit to him that she had allowed Martouf to be captured and then tortured to death on a mission under her command?

No, she could not, would not, let him down like that. She would let neither Martouf nor Lantash down; that was not even an option.

Charesh agreed strongly with her. They would save Martouf. There was no other choice, for either of them. Sam knew this, as well as she did; although they could not yet admit to it, these two beings were destined to be their life, the very heart of them. Pulling her thoughts away from the precipice it teetered on, she brought her thoughts back to the present problem. So, now, how would they accomplish it?

Sam frowned at her father, as her mind flew through possibilities. "Dad, you've been here long enough to have done some recon. Isn't there another way into the palace? That's where they more than likely took him, right? Going in a back way may be the only way to reach him."

"Yes," Jacob answered slowly. "There's another way in; I found it a couple of days ago. I think it must've been a secret escape route for the previous owner of the palace. It's partially collapsed, and the entrance is overgrown, but if you're careful, it's possible to traverse it. The tunnel exits inside the palace itself, in a neglected part of the basement near the holding cells, which could be very convenient."

Sam nodded. "Great. Let's go, then," She said, impatiently.

Jacob gave a sharp shake of his head, and laid a hand on her arm, telling her, "Wait, Sam, I'd already set the timers on the explosives. If the Jaffa haven't found them, which I doubt because they are well hidden, there's only a little over fifty minutes before the naquadah blows, taking a fair chunk of the planet with it."

"Then waiting is the last thing we want to do," Sam felt her and Charesh's hearts clench and then begin to beat faster. They had to save Martouf. They had to.

"The problem is that the place will probably be crawling with Jaffa. It's unlikely you'll be able to get in unseen, and even less that you'll be able to free Martouf," Jacob pointed out softly. He held up a hand. "I know we have to try, but we also have to have a plan, if we're going to have a hope in hell of succeeding. The few minutes it takes us to come up with that plan, may make the difference between success and defeat in this."

It was obvious that Daniel was deep in thought, as he ignored the other two and their discussion completely. Suddenly, he interrupted them, asking, "Jacob, have you got any more of the explosives?"

Turning to him, from his discussion with Sam, Jacob nodded, as he told him, "Yes, some. Why?"

"A diversion," Sam said, understanding Daniel's plan immediately, before he could even get the thought out of his mouth. She felt disgusted with herself. She was the soldier; she should have already thought of that angle. What the hell was wrong with her?

"We are too close to the object, my Sam. This is Martouf. We are both aware of what that means, whether we are yet willing to discuss or admit it even to ourselves or not. Because of what he means to us, we are having difficulty thinking clearly. We 'must' put our feelings aside and concentrate on nothing, except the mission to rescue him. That is what every fiber of our being must be focused on."

"Of course, Char. You're right. I'm thinking with my heart, not my head. I have to put my emotions away and become the soldier that I'm trained to be. Thank you, my Lifemate."

"It is both of us. We must both do this. I am telling myself these things as well as you. I am as guilty of it as you are. So, now, let us pay attention to Jacob and Daniel."

"Yes. We will."

Daniel was still in the process of thinking about his idea. "Yeah, couldn't we blow up something at the other end of the compound? That would give Sam a chance to slip into the palace with less chance of being observed, too. If it's a big enough explosion, it could even draw most to the Jaffa to it, too. I mean—the Jaffa aren't going to ignore an explosion are they? If you have enough explosive left to make it a really big one, maybe even in two different places within the same area, that would confuse them even more. The noise alone should distract the Goa'uld at least a little bit. Is there anything in particular that would really get the Goa'uld's attention as well? What I'm thinking about is, well, does he, like, collect art or something that he stores somewhere that we could get to without being seen? If he's already torturing Martouf, then we need to distract him, as well, if it's at all possible. The more of a stir we make, the more confusion, and the less likelihood someone will notice Sam and Charesh." As usual for Daniel, his mind had been working overtime, wrestling with the problem, looking at the angles, determining which aspects would be best, and then spitting out an idea of how to accomplish what they needed to accomplish.

Jacob nodded slowly. "It's not a bad idea...and there are some rings we can use." After a few more moments thought, a slight smile touched his lips, and he pulled himself from his thoughts and looked over at Daniel. "In fact, it's a damn good idea. Apollo's got a receiving station for goods from ships over inside the other warehouse, even though he has one near the naquadah, as well." This time there was no mistaking the wry twist to him lips as he continued, "It's one for his, ah, wine shipments. We can ring over there and plant several areas of explosives around that warehouse. Believe it or not, the only times the Jaffa are allowed in there is when there's a shipment delivered, and they have to unpack and store it. There's only one Jaffa allowed to go in at other times. He's his, um, wine steward, I guess you would say."

"Anyway, the point is that there won't be any guards inside. Outside, yes, but not inside, and I doubt the outside guards will hear the ring transporter. The walls and doors are very thick. Apollo's rather," he cleared his throat, but you could still hear just a thread of laughter in his voice, as he finished telling them, "obsessed, when it comes to his wine." He glanced at Daniel again. "Your comment about art reminded me about it. There's no doubt that, if we blow up his storage of expensive wine, it'll piss him off, and he'll send his Jaffa immediately. Hell, as rabidly fanatical as he is about his wine, he may go, too."

"Okay, sounds like a plan. Are we ready to go?" Sam asked, once again impatient to be doing something toward releasing Martouf. Tell me how to find the entrance and let's get on it.

The two Jaffa dragged Martouf into the throne room of the Goa'uld Apollo. The Goa'uld sat upon the throne, wearing the usual outrageous and tasteless clothing they all seemed to favor. Martouf could see the sneer on his lips, as he turned his head toward them, as they entered farther into the room.

Apollo grinned maliciously, when he recognized Martouf. "So, Tok'Ra, you are back in my grasp." His eyes flashed. "You will pay for what you did. Kali destroyed two of my motherships, when she thought I had betrayed her."

"I didn't think you had two motherships," Martouf snorted. "Was it not just one – and an Alkesh?"

Apollo's eyes flashed again, but this time in anger, rather than triumph. "Tok'Ra scum! Spreading lies and conspiring with human slaves is all you do. Look at you, wearing a Tau'ri uniform and hiding behind your host," He scoffed. "You are despicable," He growled, as he raised his hand device, making it glow. "You will regret the day you decided to come back here, you miserable wretch." He looked to his Jaffa and ordered, "Bring him to me."

Martouf was thrown before the Goa'uld. "Kneel before your god," The Jaffa snarled, as he forced Martouf down on his knees in front of Apollo.

The Goa'uld slowly came closer, smirking arrogantly and almost licking his lips in anticipation of the delights to come. "Time to pay for your sins, Tok'Ra..." He stopped suddenly, as he stood before Martouf, and the presence of the Jaffa were no longer hiding that the prisoner did not have a symbiote. "What is this? The heretic has fled his host? I knew the Tok'Ra were cowards!"

Martouf looked at Apollo derisively, before filling his voice with scorn, "You really are stupid, if you truly believe that. Not," he added mockingly, "that I am surprised by the fact."

Apollo laughed. "Protecting him still, even after he has abandoned you? Such loyalty as you have…should not go unrewarded. I will enjoy seeing to it that you receive your…reward." He leaned in close and hissed in Martouf's ear. "Do not think it will stop me from taking my revenge. It may not be as sweet as it would otherwise have been, but I assure you I will still gain pleasure from it...and you will regret your loyalty to your Tok'Ra."

The Goa'uld activated his hand device and hit Martouf with it. Martouf managed not to cry out, but funneled the pain into his anger against the Goa'uld. How dared he talk like that of Lantash. Dear, Lantash...how he missed him.

Sam and Charesh had barely reached the egress of the tunnel, when her Tok'Ra communicator beeped. "Yes?" Sam whispered into it.

"Sam, we're ready to detonate the explosives. Diversion is in one minute," Jacob said.

"Understood. I'm making my way inside now."

"Sam, you better hurry, okay? We're down to under thirty minutes before the naquadah blows. You don't have much time on that end; however, I think that on the diversion end, you should have more than enough." Sam could hear Daniel snicker in the background. They must have rigged it to the point of almost total destruction; although, that wouldn't matter, either, in just under thirty minutes.

"Okay. I understand. Sam, out." She continued down the tunnel, but moments later, she felt a tremor in the ground, and leaned up against the wall of the tunnel. As soon as it stopped, she sprinted forward down the tunnel. She must be getting close to the end, because even from here, she could make out distant shouts and noise, proving that the Jaffa had noticed and were very aware of the explosion. It should divert their attention, at least for a while. If her dad was correct…for quite a while.

Satisfied, she snuck out and through the dank room she was now in, quietly stepping into the corridor outside. There were no guards in the hallway, and she smiled a little to herself, as she ran in the direction she hoped would lead them to the holding cells. Char seemed to believe it would anyway.

Slowing, she cautiously turned the corner and found herself at the entrance to the area with the holding cells. She opened the door soundlessly and quickly stepped inside. There were no guards there either; however, she felt no sense of relief…there were also no prisoners. She swore to herself, realizing that they were too late, and Martouf was likely being tortured by Apollo. It had taken them too long to get to him.

"This is not your fault, Samantha. It is no more than we expected; you know this. Do not despair; we will find him soon," Charesh, soothed her quietly.

Sam sighed, "I know, Char. It's just…I'd hoped we could make it, before they took him to be tortured. I can only hope he's not injured too badly to be able to walk. A fireman's carry doesn't lend itself to self-defense." Even internally, her voice was grim.

Char gave a negligent shrug, as she reminded her, "It matters little, if he can walk or not, my Sam. You now have the strength to carry him over your shoulder, if we must."

Sam almost stopped walking, as the truth of Chars comment, made its way through her. She was right. Although she could have managed to carry them without her added strength, it would have been very much more difficult. Now—it would be no problem at all. She sent her a slight smile and brought her attention back to what Char was telling her, "That is the least of our worries. First, we must find him and hope that the diversion is large enough that, they have called everyone out to fight the fire that no doubt erupted. In fact, I believe it was Selmak and Jacob's intention to see to it that there were several fires. That will add to the confusion, and thus it should keep the Jaffa occupied for quite some time to come."

Neither of them mentioned the possibility that Martouf might not be alive at all. That simply was not going to be considered. They had very little time, certainly not enough to put him in a sarcophagus and revive him; therefore, it was not something that they were going to find. He would be alive.

Daniel paced, glancing at his watch every thirty seconds or so. Jacob wasn't a lot calmer himself, but he had Selmak helping him to retain his "cool". Well, conversation would at least help to pass the time, so he asked, rather abruptly, "What's happened, Daniel? What little I got earlier from all of you wasn't exactly clear as glass, you know. I could use a little clarification, now that we have the time to discuss it."

Daniel stopped pacing and looked up from where his gaze had been riveted to the floor in front of him, giving him a slightly startled look and he gave a very simple, even if still uninformative, answer, "Oh, yeah, sorry, Jacob. Jack and Teal'c are stranded, in a disabled glider, and are heading out into space."

"A disabled glider heading out into space," Jacob, responded flatly. "What, if I may ask, are they doing in a disabled glider heading into space…or anywhere else for that matter?"

Daniel blinked and again gave a true, if someone cryptic, answer, "Probably dying by now. Their life support system was damaged when they tried to do a slingshot maneuver around Jupiter. Needless to say, it didn't work, and now, they're worse off than they were."

"A slingshot maneuver around Jupiter." Jacob was beginning to feel like a parrot repeating everything Daniel said, so he broke that pattern, adding, "Daniel, why were they trying to do this in the first place?"

"They, um, were doing some tests on a glider we built using parts from the gliders we managed to get back to Earth. It worked great, too." He sighed. "Well, it worked great, until that piece of trash, Apophis's recall device kicked in and sent them heading for his homeworld." Realizing that he was talking to not only Jacob, but also Selmak, he added, "It would have been nice, if one of our allies had told us about it, before this happened." He scowled, as he once again felt the anger that had washed through him earlier, at the reluctance of the Tok'Ra to share important Intel like this with the SGC."

"It wasn't our decision, Daniel; Selmak and I voted to share it. Unfortunately, the younger council members didn't agree and managed to convince most of the others that we shouldn't. They convinced them that this wasn't something that would affect you, and therefore, it wasn't anything important enough to share. Needless to say, Sel and I weren't pleased about it; however, there was nothing we could do about it."

"Maybe next time, you'll decide to inform us anyway, Jacob. You knew that they were wrong. If Jack and Teal'c die, it will strain the alliance; I can assure you of that." Daniel's eyes opened wide, as the answer came to him, and he blurted out, "Whoever pushed for this is trying to disrupt the alliance, aren't they?"

Selmak came fore and answered him, "It is our belief that this is true, Daniel, however, for the moment, we are pretending ignorance of their plans. Per'sus is very angry about it, and he believes that Martouf and Lantash, since they survived, are in danger…but you are already aware of that, even if you are not aware of why, they are in danger. What you may not have known or realized, until now, is that we suspect someone within the Tok'Ra is involved. Of course," he sighed, "it could still be a Goa'uld backed plan. That, however,is information that most definitely should go no further, and which I should not have spoken to you about at all. We are working on it. That is another reason we held back from informing you. Had it come out that you found out from us, those that are behind these things might also guess that, we are aware of their plans. We cannot afford for that to happen."

Daniel nodded. "I understand. You think someone is trying to harm Lantash and Martouf because they survived and what? Might remember who did this to them?" He frowned. "I suppose that's possible, but I would think rather unlikely—unless Lantash was aware of what was happening, but because of the programming couldn't warn anyone?"

Selmak nodded, adding, "That is a very real possibility, Daniel; however, until Lantash can reblend with Martouf, we have no real way of knowing. For now, it is just a suspicion and nothing more." He paused before asking, "Why did you come to Delakor?"

"This was the only ship within range. The Tok'ra wouldn't tell us where you were, even knowing that Jack and Teal'c could die. If it wasn't for Anise and Martouf, we would've had no idea of how to reach you."

Selmak gazed at him, before saying quietly, "Are you telling me that Anise went over the council's head, and told you where we were?"

Daniel cleared his voice, not sure if there was danger in telling them Anise told them or not. Deciding probably not, Daniel explained, "Ah, no, not 'exactly'. All she told us was that you had the only ship close enough to Earth to reach them in time, and that the operative on the mission was someone important to both the Tok'Ra and to us. They felt that contacting you could cause problems or cause you to abort your mission, which of course, was more important than Jack and Teal'c's survival. That last part she didn't tell us, but it was pretty easy to figure out."

Selmak smiled briefly, "As was the answer to where we were, once she gave you the clues to find us. We must remember to thank her." An arrested look crossed his face, and he asked quietly, "Daniel, did the entire council meet and make this decision? Do you know for sure?"

Daniel frowned as he tried to recall the circumstances surrounding his request. Going over his conversation with Anise, he realized there actually was more to the story…particularly in light of what Selmak had just told him. "Now that you ask, I thought it was rather odd, but—Anise made a point of telling me that they couldn't gather the entire council, as some of them were off base, but that those that were there decided not to reveal the information to us, but decided they would contact us, if their operative returned in time to help. In fact, she also emphasized that Thoran, as the ranking council member present, made the final decision."

Daniel watched as Selmak smiled slowly. It wasn't a pleasant smile. In fact, although the smile itself did not lend itself to the image, the look on his face and in his eyes, reminded Daniel of a cat that would soon have a mouse cornered…and devoured. He didn't think he would want to be Thoran…or any of Thoran's minions, in the future. No, he didn't think he would want to be him at all. Suddenly, a memory hit Daniel and he blurted out, "Thoran's the one that threatened Malek, Lantash, and Martouf. He's the one that was harassing Lantash the day Sam almost died. Delek is a satellite of his, and he's the one that threatened Sam and Char. Your pieces are beginning to fit together."

Selmak looked first startled and then uneasy. As he opened his mouth to tell Daniel not to repeat what he'd just put together, Daniel forestalled him, saying, "You know, Selmak, I'm really absentminded a lot of the time. If I'm busy doing something, or I'm worried, I tend to forget things. Sometimes even really important things. Until I need to remember them, of course, but I don't need to remember anything, at the moment, and I'm really worried about Sam, Char, and Martouf. We've all become very fond of Martouf, and Charesh is a very lovable being. All of us would be very upset—no, we'd be devastated, if we lost any of them." He looked down, before glancing back up and adding, "We'll certainly remember to tell Anise thank you, too." Then he shrugged, and, as if the recent conversation between them had not taken place, he continued explaining, "Anyway, that's why we ended up here looking for the two of you."

Selmak looked at him gravely and realized that in a very real sense of the word, he had just gained what might prove to be a very important ally in this situation. "Understood, Daniel." He gave control to Jacob, who also continued, as if the interim conversation didn't exist, "Good enough, Daniel. We'll leave as soon as the three of them return."

Daniel glanced at his watch, and once more became alarmed. "They don't have much time left."

Jacob agreed, "Yeah, I know, but there's nothing we can do but wait."

Daniel sighed, plainly unhappy with that thought.

"Turn here, Sam, and follow this corridor. We should be nearing the section of the palace that will house the throne room. I do not doubt that they have taken him there." Following Charesh's suggestions about the likely layout of a Goa'uld palace this size, she found her way to the section of it that seemed likely to hold the throne room, and after only going the wrong way once. They had lost time during that, but hopefully they would make it up.

She checked her watch. Damn it, they only had sixteen minutes left.

Sam felt Char grab control and spin around, raising the zat'nik'tel, as she did so. Charesh fired and the Jaffa sank to the ground, without sounding the alert. Two more shots and he was gone. There was no doubt in Sam's mind that Char had that very necessary ruthless streak that make the best soldiers and operatives. Survive to complete the mission at all costs. Follow the orders given…even if she was better at giving them than receiving them.

Leaving those thoughts behind for later perusal, Sam thanked her, angry with herself for not sensing the energy signature or otherwise detecting the Jaffa. "That is part of what I am here for, Sam. It is very helpful to have two people working together, yes? We can split our attention and cover many aspects of a situation at once."

"Yes, Mer Prinekh. It is very helpful to have two people working together. In fact," she almost chuckled, "It puts a whole new meaning into the concept of "working together."

"Yes, so it does," Char answered, giving Sam a swift light caress, before becoming completely sober once again. "We are almost there, my Sam. Be vigilant."

Moving carefully, they made it the rest of the way to the throne room safely and immediately stunned the two guards near the entrance without encountering any problems. Once more, two more shots, and they were no longer a situation waiting to come back later to interfere with their mission. The two Jaffa had not been paying attention, but were busily discussing who could be attacking their god. Sam was thankful they had been occupied and so hadn't noticed the energy signature approaching them; Char considered them incompetent fools and thus easy prey.

Sam checked the time again. Damn it, there were only twelve minutes left...they weren't going to make it. "We will succeed. Do not doubt it, for I do not. Apollo will have some rings nearby. We will find them and then…pfft, we are gone," Charesh assured her, adding, "We still have plenty of time. Well, perhaps we will not have plenty of time, but we will most certainly have sufficient."

Suddenly, Char took control and threw them back behind a rather large and gaudy statue. Looking at it, she shuddered, her artistic tastes and feelings insulted by something so hideous. A Jaffa came running down the hallway toward them and the throne room. Sam groaned and Char hissed. This could not be a good thing. The Jaffa threw the throne room doors open, not even noticing the absence of the two guards who should be there, as he called out to his God, "My Lord Apollo, someone has blown up the wine warehouse. It is burning as we speak."

Had Sam and Char been foxes, their ears would have pricked and flicked forward, as they listened attentively. Perhaps they were wrong, and this was actually a very good thing.

There was a second of complete silence followed by a screech worthy of a dying animal, before an order was bitten out, "Take him back to his cell, and then join us at the warehouse." Then the "God" Apollo and two of his Jaffa almost ran from the room and down the hall. Jacob was right. The man was a lunatic when it came to his wine.

Sam felt some of her tension leave her. At least now, they knew that Martouf was not dead, and they would not need to try to find a sarcophagus that they wouldn't have time to use anyway. She would have stepped into the room; however, Char stayed her movement. Reading her intentions, Sam leaned back against the wall one more time.

As the Jaffa walked past them, Charesh took control, "Jaffa! Kree!"

Hearing the voice of a God behind him telling him to halt, he froze in place. Flashing their eyes in anger, she demanded "Release the prisoner, Jaffa!" The expectation of being obeyed was clear in her voice, and he immediately complied, knowing that there was a ribbon device or a zat'nik'tel pointed at his back. Martouf hit the floor with a thud and a crack to his head.

The Jaffa was still much too shocked by the sudden appearance of another "God" to move. Now that he was no longer holding Martouf, Charesh shot him and then watched as he fell to the floor. She frowned and then sighed. Of course, he would fall on top of Martouf. Why not? Wasn't it inevitable?

Then, hearing Martouf moan, Charesh bent down and easily removed the Jaffa, before giving control back to Sam.

She dropped to her knees beside him. "Martouf. Martouf! Come on, we've got to go."

Another moan and then a slight nod of his head. His eyes snapped open, and he rolled over, before first coming up on his knees, readying himself to attempt to stand. Goddess, his head hurt. Reaching down, Sam helped Martouf to stand, and together they staggered down the hall. He moaned in pain, but was able to walk with her support, thought barely.

"I wonder how bad his wounds are?" Sam's voice was devoid of emotion, as she kept a very tight rein on them.

Charesh answered swiftly, "I do not believe that they are fatal, Samantha. Jacob and Selmak will have a healing device on the ship, so if we can just get him there, he will very shortly be well again." Her instinct telling her that his legs were about to give out, which would jerk him from Sam's grasp, she swiftly took back control, lifted Martouf to her shoulder, and continued swiftly down the hallway.

"I feel the rings, Samantha. We are almost there," Charesh assured her calmly.

Sam nodded her agreement. She, too, recognized the signal they sent out. As they entered the room where the rings were, the communicator alerted them to an incoming communication, and Charesh gave Sam control, so she could answer. She gently let go of Martouf, letting him support himself against the wall.

"Sam here."

"What the hell's keeping you? You're down to less than 5 minutes!"

Sam grinned, at the sound of him, before replying, sweetly, "Love you too, dad. We're coming. Prepare for ring transport."

She shut off the communicator, before Jacob had time to answer, and turned toward Martouf again. He had slid down the wall, until he was nearing the floor.

"Martouf, come on, we've almost made it. Hold on just a little longer, please," She urged, as she grabbed him, and attempted to get him to stand up. She tapped his cheek lightly, and he finally focused on her. "How are you doing?" She looked at him with concern.

He sighed, coughed, and then managed to straighten to a standing position once more. "I must admit that I have been better; however, I believe that I will survive." He paused, before sighing what was fast becoming a familiar refrain, "I really miss Lantash, though."

Sam nodded. "I understand. Come on, we need to get you onto the platform." She helped him walk the rest of the way to the ring transporter. After setting the controls for the scout ship, she activated them and then quickly joined Martouf. The white of the rings flashed, and moments later, they found themselves on the ship.

Sam breathed a sigh of relief, as she saw Daniel coming towards them. Then, her time of relief was over, as Martouf once more sagged into her arms.

"They're here!" Daniel called out to Jacob before hurrying over and helping to support him, as they moved toward the other section. The ship took off almost before he finished his statement. After lowering Martouf to what passed as a bunk, she allowed Daniel to help divest them of their gear. Just as they made the jump into hyperspace, there was a spectacular explosion behind them.

Sam grinned and Daniel shook his head ruefully, before chiding her, "Cutting it a little close weren't you, Sam?"

Her grin left, but her eyes were still a little amused, as she replied, "Yeah, I know, Daniel, but that wasn't why I was grinning."

Daniel raised an eyebrow in a questioning look. "I was just wondering how much of his wine he managed to, ah, save. He actually left Martouf with only one Jaffa and rushed out of his torturing session, when they told him what was burning." She choked on a gurgle of laughter, and Daniel grinned back this time. Martouf moved slightly, and they were instantly at his side.

He had a slight smile on his face, and then he forced his eyes to open. "You destroyed his wine? You could have thought of no better diversion. The man is, er, that is, was, a fanatic about it."

"Um, yeah, that's what dad, said. We figured if it was that important to him, then it should cause a hell of a disturbance."

Martouf nodded, grimaced at the shaft of pain, and then murmured, "You were quite correct. Thank you for coming for me, but you should have left me behind. It was a very dangerous thing to do, and you needed to be on your way to rescue the Colonel and Teal'c." He frowned, as both Daniel and Sam straightened stiffly.

After a moment, both Daniel and Sam relaxed somewhat, before Daniel told him mildly, but very firmly, "We had every reason to believe that you would still be alive, there was a back way into the palace, and a perfect diversion was just waiting to be used. Get used to it, Martouf. It's how we are and what we do. If you remember nothing else of the Tau'ri soldiers, remember this; we leave no one behind, as long as there is a chance in hell of recovering them alive."

Remembering Netu, Martouf nodded. He should not have forgotten that stubbornness and determination. He smiled slightly, once again, before remarking, "I will remember this time, Daniel." Then he closed his eyes, as the darkness overtook him.

TBC