Slayers in Space Chapter 26: Slayer's Gambit 2 of 3: Castling Planets, a buffy x-overs fanfic

A/N:

Sorry! In recompense, have an exceptionally long chapter...

Slayers Gambit Part 2/3: Castling Planets

Onboard the Odyssey, Colonel Emerson watched the ship's sensors greatly-enhanced view of the distant short-lived battle as the Ori Mothership lifted itself from the planet's surface, destroying the three Jaffa ships in orbit as it broke atmosphere and accelerated beyond the resulting debris to make the jump into hyperspace.

"Long-range scans are detecting no transmitter signals from the surface of the planet," Marks informed him soberly. He brightened hopefully, "Is it possible SG-1 and Thirteen escaped through the 'Gate?"

"Well if they had, Stargate Command would have given us the heads up by now," Emerson said regretfully, frowning as he thought the situation through. "No, it's more likely they're still on board that ship."

"Sir, if that's the case, and it's on its way to rendezvous with the rest of the Ori fleet, then we've lost them," Marks said soberly.

"Maybe not," Emerson told him. "We may still have a chance at rescuing them, provided that ship is headed where I think it is. Major, set a course for Dakara."

"Liss!" bellowed Faith. "Nya!"

There was no sign of either of them by the time the others reached the deserted village. More worryingly, the only signs that the village might be inhabited were the clothes and armour strewn around the place, and the smoke still rising from several chimneys. One of the sets of armour clanked as Val picked up the helmet, trying it on for size. It dwarfed her head.

"Grab the weapons," Faith instructed. Weapons were more useful than badly-fitting armour, which would only slow them down. She yelled again, "Ny!"

"What happened here?" Mallie asked in a hushed whisper, climbing down from the cart to stand by Faith's side.

"Adria happened," Faith said grimly, looking around. But why would Adria kill her own soldiers?

"Faith!" Liss' voice came from above, and Faith looked up to see the blonde slayer standing on a balcony, holding a Prior's staff.

"Where's Nya?" Faith asked her. Liss shrugged. "Get down here," Faith told her. "We're leaving as soon as we find her."

Rolling her eyes, Liss obeyed, disappearing from sight. The horse shifted restlessly in the cart traces and Mallie dropped back to comfort it as the others began to spread out. Jem shuddered as he accidentally stepped on one of the sets of clothing, quickly lifting his foot off. He definitely preferred Camelot to this new world, he decided.

Different thoughts were going through Faith's mind. As well as her frustration at Nya's disappearance and confusion about what had happened here, she was wondering just what they were doing there. So far, every time she'd dialled the 'Gate they'd found a Slayer, but there was no-one left alive here to find. Whistler had hinted that the Powers were guiding her to the slayers, but why had they sent her here? What had Adria done to the people of this planet, and why?

"Found her!" Kay's shout lifted Faith's head.

"Great," Faith said as Kay led Nya into view. "Time to get the hell outta Dodge."

"Is that where we are?" Val asked her. "Dodge?"

"Not exactly Kansas, is it?" Faith told her. Val frowned in confusion and Faith sighed. "No."

As Mallie began to laboriously turn the horse and cart around in the small square, taking care not to run over any of the clothing scattered around, Faith frowned, approaching her as Liss appeared in the doorway of the building, minus the Prior's staff.

"Mallie..." Faith said awkwardly. "We can't take him with us."

"Why not?" Mallie frowned, stroking the horse's neck.

"We don't know where we're going next," Faith told her. "There might not be a road. It could be dangerous."

"So you want to just leave Flash here?" Mallie demanded, throwing a possessive arm around the horse's neck. "All on his own, with no-one to care for him?"

"Flash?" Faith questioned. "Never mind. Look Mallie, he'll be five by five here. Turn him loose on the way back to the Stargate and he'll be stallion of the world!"

"No," refused Mallie.

"Mallie..." Faith sympathised with her but stayed firm. "You want Adria to turn him into dog meat instead?"

"Fine!" Mallie snapped. "But if he gets eaten by wolves, I am going to blame you!"

"Unlikely," Liss told her, joining them. "Whatever caused this seems to have disintegrated every living being, even the animals."

"Grab what you want from the cart," Faith ordered loudly, so everyone could hear her as shivers went down her spine. This place was even creepier than Sunnydale right before the battle with the First when all the natives had skipped town. "We're getting outta here."

After the Ori mothership had taken off and made the jump into hyperspace, Carter and Jon had returned to the ship's bridge so that Carter could try to override the primary systems and take back control of the ship. The blonde Colonel was hunched over her computer tablet, seeking a back way in to the Ori control computer, while Jon sat on the podium of the interface chair, his P-90 in his hands as he faced the door, trying to think of another way off the ship.

Surely the Ori had smaller ships onboard? They could take some of those; Jon was as confident in his ability to fly anything as he was Carter's. Mitchell was a good pilot and could probably handle another and in a pinch, Teal'c would manage. Split the non-pilots between them and they could blast out of here.

Not while they were still in hyperspace though. The hyper-accelerated speed would tear small unshielded ships apart. They'd have to wait until they reached their destination before they made a run for it. If the ships weren't coded to pass through the mothership's shields, Carter would still have to override the shield before they could leave.

If they were headed to a planet, and Jon had a horrible feeling that they were and that he knew which one, they could use the rings to transport down to the planet and then hotfoot it through the 'Gate back to the SGC. Providing that whoever was running the ship didn't catch up with them first.

It was all moot anyway unless they could find Space-Monkey, Looney Tunes and the Doc before they got to wherever the hell they were going. Jack had never left a man behind and Jon wasn't about to start now.

He raised his P-90, tensing as he braced the weapon against his shoulder and the door opened. Revealing Mitchell, Teal'c, Oz and Andrew. Disappointed, Jon lowered the rifle. Still no sign of the Doc.

"Here's a question," Mitchell said, strolling forward, his eyes locked on the view of hyperspace out of the window. "Who's flying this boat?"

"Not us," Jon snarked back.

"Apparently so," Teal'c commented peaceably, bowing his head slightly to Jon.

Jon nodded back, standing as he informed them, "Carter's trying to take control of the ship."

"Need a hand?" Oz asked her quietly.

Looking up, Sam smiled her thanks. "I'm trying to override the primary systems," she told him as he slipped the large backpack from his shoulders. "Can you work on deactivating the shields in case I can't crack it in time?"

Oz nodded, heading for the console he had been working on earlier to get set back up again. He pulled his computer tablet out of his pack as Andrew spoke.

"We need a plan," the young Watcher confidently stated the obvious and they all turned to stare at him with varying shades of disbelief. "What do we know?"

"Well," Jon said sarcastically. "We're missing a couple of people..."

"Someone is in remote control of the ship," Sam said, humouring Andrew.

"Probably someone onboard," Oz added helpfully.

"And the only people who can control the ship are Priors?" Jon checked. Carter nodded. "Great!" he exploded. "Don't suppose you happened to pack one of those nifty anti-Prior devices I've heard such good things about?"

"Sorry, sir," Carter said regretfully. "I mean, Captain..."

"Damn," mourned Jon. "Okay... plan B!"

Turned out, Faith was right. The next planet they travelled to, the Stargate was in the middle of a dense thicket of woods. No road. Directly in front of them stood a stone pillar and as they assembled at the top of the low Stargate platform, a beam shot out of the top of the pillar, passing over each of them in turn before it deactivated.

"Weird," commented Faith. "Okay, spread out. First person to spot civilisation gets a chocolate bar."

Although Adria sat with her eyes closed as she restored her depleted power reserves, she was fully aware of all that was going on in the room around her, seeing through Deama's eyes. Her faithful Clava was stationed to one side of the door, close enough to prevent Adria's mother and Daniel Jackson from leaving and yet out of sight of anyone who might look in, although the other intruders onboard the ship were all still far enough away to be no threat. Adria was particularly interested in the feral animalistic mind clustered with the Tau'ri in the control room of the ship. His (she was fairly certain that it was a he) mind was intriguingly elusive.

Not so with her mother and Daniel Jackson. Their minds blazing with untapped power, power that the ascended of this galaxy were too weak to claim for themselves, their thoughts focussed on the Clava sprawled unconscious on the floor. The Clava who had activated the ship's control chair for a few brief moments earlier. Adria's mother had called her Jool. Adria hoped that that was not her real name even as she marvelled that her mother had been with her Clava all this time. They had clearly become close. Perhaps too close.

"I know that Tomin will be happy to see you again," opening her eyes, Adria tried to distract her mother from her friend's fate and appease her at the same time.

"Tomin's alive?" Vala asked her with amazement, successfully distracted, even if only temporarily. "Was he on the planet with you?" She looked around, clearly expecting to see him appear.

"No. I've been travelling with various ships, to many different planets," Adria told Vala, choosing to gloss over her so-far disastrous confrontations with her chosen Clava in favour of impressing her mother with her power. "As leader of this great enlightenment, it's important that I make my presence known. Especially now when the first inroads are being made. Once the rest of the fleet arrives, I'll have a much harder time of it." And a much easier time dealing with Faith and her followers.

"How many other ships are coming?" Daniel asked warily, hoping to glean some information from the encounter.

"Many, many more," answered Adria, which wasn't really an answer at all. Daniel had been hoping for something more concrete, like actual numbers and whether or not they'd be coming via the Supergate. "By my estimation, the galaxy will be converted within the year," Adria informed him.

Great. At least they had a timescale.

Spotting civilisation on this new planet wasn't as easy as it sounded. For a start, there was no smoke rising into the sky. When they did finally see a roof in the distance, it turned out to belong to the charred ruin of a tumbledown house. Faith kept them moving, heading in a rough spiral out from the 'Gate. Surely the Powers hadn't sent her to another deserted planet? Was this gonna be a recurring theme?

It was getting to the others too. They were silent and wary, sticking close to her whenever they travelled across open ground, and staying within sight when they were amongst the thick trees. Mallie was still sulking about the horse, although she'd cheered up a little since Faith had awarded her a chocolate bar for spotting the roof, even though the house had been a bust.

Finally, just as Faith was about to give up and head back to the Stargate, the slayers heard the unmistakable sound of energy weapons firing in the distance. Instantly they changed direction, sprinting towards the fight. Weaving through trees and bushes almost silently, the slayers were there in a matter of minutes, exploding into a small clearing just as a squadron of five Ori soldiers were about to execute a woman on her knees, a small sobbing girl clinging to her.

Kay fired her staff weapon, killing the soldier aiming his staff at the woman and child, while Faith squeezed off a couple of zat blasts at another of the soldiers. Then the six slayers reached the remaining three soldiers. The fight was over in seconds, leaving three Ori soldiers dead and each slayer itching for more enemies to slay.

"Oh!" gasping, the woman staggered to her feet, holding her daughter close to her, and began to run from them.

"Hey, wait!" Faith called after her. "We're not gonna hurt you!"

Jem, left foundering in their wake when the slayers had run off, stepped out of the trees directly in front of the woman. Taking in his ragged appearance she stopped, her eyes wide as she backed up. Caught between Jem and the slayers, she glanced back and forth between them before her eyes darted off in a different direction.

"My name is Nya," Nya said unexpectedly, holding her hands out peaceably as she approached the woman. "I have a daughter about your girl's age. Her name is Chaia."

"Where is she?" the woman asked suspiciously, cradling her frightened daughter.

"She was stolen from me," Nya told her. "By the woman who commanded these soldiers. Now I travel the worlds with Faith," she gestured to Faith. "Fighting them and searching for her."

"You travel the worlds?" breathed the woman, relaxing as she stared at them in awe. "Where are you from?"

"I'm from Earth," Faith volunteered. "Faith. Hi."

"Earth?" momentary confusion clouded the woman's face before her brow cleared. "You mean Midgard. Then," the woman smiled rapturously. "Thor has sent you to aid us in our fight!"

"Thor?" Faith frowned as dormant memories of her long-ago tour of the SGC stirred. Wasn't Thor really a Roswell Grey or some shit like that? "Uh..."

"I am Maeva," the woman told them. "And this is Vedis. Say hello to the women from Midgard, Disa," she said to her daughter. Vedis shook her head, burying her face in her mother's neck. "She is shy," Maeva excused.

"Makes sense," Faith shrugged. "Listen, don't suppose you had nightmares about these guys before they showed up?"

"The Ori?" Maeva frowned, confused. "No. Why?"

"We're looking for a woman who has," Kay told her. "She would also be stronger and faster than any man."

"I know no woman of that description," Maeva told them. "Gairwyn was the strongest woman in the area but she was not stronger than her son, Gunnarr, or her husband while he still lived."

"Where are they?" asked Liss.

"We heard a rumour that Gairwyn was communing with Thor when the Ori destroyed His Hall," Maeva said. "My husband and I were trying to reach the cave on their property when the soldiers found us. We were hoping to find Gunnarr and his friends there."

"Why?" Faith asked, staying clear from the question of what had happened to Maeva's husband. She had a pretty good idea.

"Gunnarr and his men have been fighting the Ori soldiers," Maeva explained. "My husband wished to join them and even if they weren't there, the caves would have been a good place for Disa and I to shelter while he searched for them."

"What's changed?" Faith said with a shrug. "Lead the way."

"Jackson, come in," Mitchell was speaking into his radio, his head bent to his chest. "Jackson, Vala, can you hear me?" Static was his only reply and he raised his head to look around the crowded room. "We're gonna have to go out there and look for them," he said. "Sam?"

"I'll keep at it," Sam told him, barely raising her head from her computer tablet to glance up.

"Okay, campers," said Jon. "Two teams of two on a level by level search. Top to bottom and bottom to top. Switch to the back-up frequency and keep in radio contact every five minutes. Carter, Oz, you stay here and do what you do best. One of you stay on the old frequency in case the others check in." Catching sight of Mitchell's half-amused, half-chagrined expression as the senior officer steadily regarded him, Jon fumbled to a stop, biting his lip as the tips of his ears turned red. Awkwardly, he continued, "If, of course, that's alright with you, sir?"

Mitchell shrugged good-naturedly, the edges of his mouth curling slightly upwards, "Sounds like a plan."

After careful observation, Faith wasn't sure Maeva knew where she was taking them. She'd led them on a circuitous route, doubling back several times. They kept climbing the lower slopes of the mountain though, so Faith kept her mouth shut. They were making progress at least, even if it was slower than she would have liked.

They stuck to the trees, avoiding open ground as much as possible. A couple of times, they'd come across abandoned ring platforms, left exposed in the middle of nowhere. Each platform shone like it was brand spanking new and every time they found one, Maeva veered off on one of her side trips. At least they hadn't run into any more Ori patrols, but Faith couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not. They were trying to be stealthy, but on the other hand, she was itching for a decent fight. One where she got to do more than just hit someone before Val ran them through with her sword. Clarent! Faith snorted, attracting curious looks from the others. She ignored them.

"We there yet?" she asked Maeva.

"Almost," Maeva told her. "It is not much further. But we should have come across a lookout by now," Maeva frowned, looking worried.

Faith frowned with her. If there was no-one at the cave then she and the others would have to decide whether to keep looking for survivors, and a slayer, on this planet or head to a new one. They'd found Maeva and her kid; there had to be other survivors here. Besides, the Ori were here, and clearly up to something. At the moment, they had no idea that Faith and her girls were also here, and only a couple of clues left behind in a clearing for them to find. This could be an opportunity to catch them with their pants down.

"Halt!" the order came from ahead as Maeva hesitated at the tree-line, peering around anxiously. "Who goes there?"

"It is I, Gunnarr," Maeva announced, stepping out of the trees with her kid in her arms. She motioned for Faith and the others to join her. "I travel with friends."

A man's head popped into view above a boulder as Faith joined Maeva in the open. "Where is Olaf?" he asked suspiciously.

"He has made his journey to Valhalla," Maeva told him, ducking her head as she fought back tears.

"He will be missed," Gunnarr said soberly, walking around the boulder to join them. "We shall drink to honour his memory tonight."

Like Maeva, Gunnarr was dressed in crude leggings and a tunic. His tunic was marginally shorter than Maeva's and he wore no cloak. He carried a large axe, a bow and quiver of arrows slung across his back. His hair was dark. Faith found herself disappointed by the fact that he wasn't wearing a horned helmet.

"Who are your friends?" Gunnarr asked Maeva.

"Faith," Faith introduced herself before Maeva had a chance to tell him. "Mallie, Kay, Nya, Liss, Val and Jem," she pointed out each of the others in turn. "How's it going?"

"You wear the clothing of one from Midgard," Gunnarr pointed out. "Yet your companions do not."

"That's 'cause I'm from Midgard," Faith told him, having already worked out that Midgard was what these people called Earth. "They're not."

"They avenged Olaf's death," Maeva told Gunnarr.

"Our friends from Midgard, and their allies, are always welcome on Cimmeria," Gunnarr announced. "Doubly so in this time of need. Tell me, did Thor send you?"

"Uhh..." Faith said. "Not personally."

"I knew he would not ignore our plight," Gunnarr grinned. "Come, we shall plan our next move."

"Yeah, about that plight," Faith said, following him as he walked back to the boulders. "We kinda missed the details..."

"Surely Thor would not send you into battle without first informing you of what you faced?" Maeva questioned, surprised.

"Battle?" Val asked, grinning.

"Ori 'n' Priors, right?" Faith said with a shrug. "Slayed one, slayed 'em all. We're kinda..." she glanced around at the others, "Shock troops. We just get told where to go."

Even that wasn't true. Faith wasn't happy with the idea of lying to these people but they didn't have time to get into a discussion about whether or not Thor was a God right now. If believing that Thor had sent them meant that these people accepted them quickly, then she'd go along with it. For now. But she wasn't about to like it. It reminded her too much of when she'd first got to Sunnydale, and hadn't bothered telling B she had Kakistos on her tail. She just hoped this didn't come back to bite her on the ass too.

"The Ori appeared over a se'nnight ago," Gunnarr told them as he led them to a mossy outcropping. There was a small gap in the rock wall and Faith guessed that was the cave as Gunnar walked towards it, still talking, "When the people of the city refused to worship their Gods, they destroyed the city. By the time they turned their attention to my land, we were sheltering here."

"My husband and I remained in our home," Maeva took up the tale when Gunnarr broke off to scoop up a small boy who toddled across the cave floor towards him. "A Prior came to see us, to tell us of their Gods. When we remained true to Thor, he punished us by setting fire to our house. My mother died in the blaze."

"I'm sorry," Kay sympathised with her.

"Where is your mother, Brun?" Gunnarr asked the solemn girl who'd followed the boy across the cave, stroking her hair.

"She is lying down," the girl told him. "Her cough is worse."

"Please, excuse me," Gunnarr said to Faith. "I must see to my wife. She is sick. Dago," he spoke to a grey-haired man hunched over the fire. "Stand guard."

"Perhaps I can help," Val offered unexpectedly as Dago nodded, rising to his feet and leaving the cave. "My mother is a healer and she taught me much. I have herbs with me."

"Truly you were sent by the Gods!" Gunnarr said with evident relief. "Hildar is this way."

"So where are the Ori based?" Faith asked Maeva as Gunnarr led Val deeper into the cave system, taking the two children with him and leaving the others with Maeva, Vedis and an old woman who was stirring the large cauldron slung over the open fire. "How far away?"

"They live on their ship," Maeva told her as Vedis squirmed in her arms. She set the young girl down on her feet as she continued, "They use the metal rings they dropped from the sky to appear and attack."

"Cowards!" sniffed the old woman.

"You got that right," Faith told her, frowning.

How the hell were they gonna fight the Ori here if they were all on their ship? Faith made a mental note to check out one of the ring platforms she'd noticed scattered around. Maybe there was a way she could activate them from here. She should take Liss; the Langaran slayer was experienced with alien tech and had worked with Jonas. Except, attacking a spaceship full of soldiers and Priors would be suicide. Faith sighed. They still had a slayer to find before they could leave. What would happen to Maeva and the rest of the people on this planet when they went?

"Faith," Kay said quietly, drawing her away from the group as the newcomers began to settle in.

"What is it?" Faith asked her.

"The people of this planet are being exterminated," Kay whispered, glancing around the cave. "This cave used to shelter many more."

"Props for statin' the obvious," Faith told her quietly. "What's your point?"

"We just left a deserted world where no-one would ever think of looking for them..." Kay suggested.

"You wanna relocate 'em?" Faith frowned as she considered the idea. It was a good one. Plenty of real estate available there and Liss already had the 'Gate address. "You think they'd go?"

"It's worth asking, isn't it?" said Kay.

Faith nodded thoughtfully. It was definitely worth a shot. Hopefully they could convince these people that they'd be better off on a different planet. It shouldn't be too hard, they had to be able to see it for themselves. If she had to, she'd lie and tell 'em Thor had sent her to move 'em.

Adria was beginning to lose patience with her mother. She kept bringing up objections to Adria's plans now that they had been reunited. It was almost enough to make Adria think that her mother didn't really want to come with her. Until now, Adria had comforted herself with the thought that her mother hadn't really wanted to leave her as her Priors insisted. That she'd been stolen away against her will by the formerly ascended Daniel Jackson. Vala's incessant reasons not to join the Ori fleet were however, beginning to create doubts in the Orici's mind.

"What about Jool?" Vala was saying now, a frown on her face.

"What about her?" Adria asked, the frown crumpling her forehead caused by confusion.

"Well, we're supposed to be having a girl's night in later on this week," Vala hedged. "I'd hate to let her down."

"You will see her again," Adria reassured her. "Once she has accepted her rightful place as a member of my Oriclave I will appoint her your personal bodyguard if that will make you happy."

Vala grimaced, "That's... not really going to work for me, I'm afraid, darling. You see, Jool's my friend," she told her daughter, realising as she spoke that the statement was true. "Not my servant."

Unlike many members of the SGC, Vala had never once felt that Jool was judging her by Earth's standards and finding her wanting, perhaps because English slayer's own standards were already skewed by her long acquaintance with the supernatural. The close association induced by the fact that both women lived at the SGC (and were the only two women who did so on a permanent basis) had meant that they were fated to either become the best of friends or the worst of enemies. Fortunately they'd chosen the former. Almost from the first moment they had met in the commissary, the two women had hit it off. Mitchell, Sam and Muscles? They'd gradually become friends. Jool and Vala had been friends from the first. Vala had come to rely on Jool's bolstering presence almost as much as she did Daniel's. Unlike her attachment to Daniel however, Vala had failed to realise just how much her friend had come to mean to her until she was threatened. Now she did.

"She will still be your friend," Adria told her with a smile. "And you will make many others."

"It won't be the same," insisted Vala.

"I don't know why you're complaining," Adria said with some frustration. "You should be delighted. As mother of the Orici you will be revered by all the followers of Origin."

"Well, while I appreciate the celebrity status, I have to admit it would get very tiresome very quickly," Vala told her daughter. "Especially if I had to perform for the, "she leant against the altar Adria had pushed her into earlier, "For the masses. I'm not very good with crowds." Hadn't been ever since the rebellion that had seen the end of the reign of Qetesh.

"There will be no demands made on you," Adria promised softly. "All you have to do is accept Origin into your heart."

"That could be a problem," Vala admitted blithely.

"Perhaps at first, but eventually you will embrace the truth," Adria said confidently.

"I don't think so," Vala firmly stood her ground, a pitying look in her eyes as she regarded her child.

"You are my mother. If I am unable to convince you, how can I be expected to sway the countless worlds in this galaxy?" Adria asked desperately, her voice firm and clear. "Until I have brought you into the fold, my mission here is a failure."

"I can be very stubborn," Vala told her, meeting Daniel's eyes.

"Mmm-hmm!" he agreed emphatically.

"Then I'll be... patient, and very... determined," Adria said gently, moving closer to her mother.

It didn't take long for Faith to get the basic four-one-one on the planet and what they were facing, thanks to the old woman. Ursula had been more than happy to fill them in, claiming that she was grateful to have someone new to talk to. And talk she did....

Cutting a long, long story short, the planet (Cimmeria apparently) was under Asgard protection and had been for centuries. There'd been a little hiccup a few years ago when the "Ettins" (whatever they were) had invaded but Thor had apparently shown up in his "chariot" and banished them. Unfortunately, it looked like Thor wasn't available this time round and like the Ettins, the Ori had no misgivings about invading a planet, protected or not.

Apparently last time Cimmerians had been invaded Gunnarr's mother, Gairwyn, had travelled to Thor's Hall with the warriors of Midgard and they had passed his trials to win the right to appeal to Thor directly. Listening to Ursula tell the story, Faith suspected that the Midgard warriors had been SG-1. If only they'd left behind a way to contact Earth to let them know what was happening on Cimmeria. Because when the Ori had invaded, Gairwyn had apparently set off alone to contact Thor again. The Ori had fired on Thor's Hall and Gairwyn never came back. So calling Thor wasn't an option.

Gairwyn's son had gathered his family and friends and fled to the cave system that had apparently protected them during the Ettin's invasion. Initially hopeful that Thor would appear, Gunnarr had led them in raids against the Ori whenever the invaders were in the area. They'd had some success, but they were drastically outnumbered. Initially they'd had some contact with other groups of survivors, but that had dwindled rapidly as the local inhabitants died in skirmishes against the invading army. The last time Gunnarr's group had had contact with other Cimmerians had been several days ago. Faith hoped that the other surviving camp hadn't been wiped out yet.

To make matters worse for the refugees, Gunnarr's wife, Hildar, had been recovering from a cold when they had moved to the cave and the damp surroundings had brought her illness back with a vengeance. To hear Ursula talk, Hildar was gonna kick the bucket any minute now. Faith assumed that the old woman was exaggerating, but when Val rejoined them her face was worried, and her shoulders tense.

Frowning, Faith took her to one side to quietly ask, "Hildar okay?"

Val's frown deepened, "I am doing all I can for her but there is only so much I can do. She is very sick," she whispered. "This cave is no good for her lungs."

"Yeah, well, we're working on it," Faith told her, glancing around. "Gotta plan."

"What is it?" asked Val, listening avidly.

"We're gonna move everyone to that deserted planet we just came from," Faith explained. "No-one'll ever think of looking for 'em there. You think Hildar'll make it?"

"She will die if she stays here much longer," Val said after a moment's consideration. "Do you really think they will go?"

"They already think Thor sent us," Faith quietly pointed out. "We just tell 'em he wants us to take 'em to a different planet, where they'll be safe."

Val frowned, "That seems dishonest to me." Looking around the cave, she lowered her voice further, "Their god did not send us."

"No... Val," Faith sighed wearily. "Thor... I'll explain later. Just make like he did and he wants us to rescue these guys for now, okay?"

"Okay...?" Val repeated dubiously. "Do you really think it wise?"

"Too late," Faith told her. "We already told Ursula and Mae."

"Maeva," Val corrected quietly.

"They're raring to go," Faith continued over the top of her. "Look," she sighed and levelled with the other slayer. "I don't like it either, but it's not like we've got much choice here. These guys are never gonna accept Origin. Adria's gonna wipe 'em out because they're convinced Thor is a God. Getting them off this planet is our best chance of saving them."

"I agree with you," Val told her. "But there are only six people here. Why do we have to lie to them?"

"Because we don't have time to convince them," Faith explained. "There's a chance that there's more survivors a day's walk from here. We gotta get to them, convince 'em to leave, and get 'em back to the 'Gate as quick as we can. Every minute we spend here increases the chances that the Ori'll find out we're here and the second they do we're gonna have a shit-load of soldiers and Priors breathing down our necks."

"How long do you think you will be?" Val asked with a worried frown. "The sooner Hildar leaves here the better."

"Two days, max," Faith told her. "That's worst case scenario. I'm hopin' to be able to catch the rings most of the way, shave off most of the walking."

"Rings?"

"Those metal rings we keep coming across," Faith explained absently, distracted as the young girl entered the room, the toddler resting on her hip, gnawing on the fist he had stuffed in his own mouth. "The Ori use 'em to travel long distance. Hopefully, we can do the same. I got Kay and Liss workin' on it now."

"And if you cannot?" Val asked anxiously.

"Then I better have a damn good plan B," Faith said frankly. "I'm guessing you wanna stay here?"

Val blinked at the sudden change of subject, "I... yes."

"Okay," Faith nodded. She'd figured as much. "Kay's staying behind to keep an eye on the 'Gate, so you won't be alone."

"That is good to know," Val said, nodding thoughtfully.

A commotion at the cave entrance drew their attention in time to see Kay and Liss enter, followed closely by the old woman, Ursula. Glancing quickly at Val, Faith made her way across the floor to meet them. Val drifted over with her.

"Any luck?" Faith asked.

"That depends on your definition of luck," Kay told her. "If you want to go to the Ori Mothership, we've got a quick way of getting there."

"The rings just aren't designed to transport sideways," Liss explained. "If I had a couple of days to study them further I might be able to do it..."

"We don't have that kind of time," Faith told her. "Okay... Plan B. Jem!"

Jem, eating a bowl of stew cross-legged on the floor, looked up at the sound of his name, "Huh?"

"You wanted to know what you could do to help," reminded Faith. "Gotta job for you."

"What?" Jem asked eagerly, leaving his food forgotten on the floor as he scrambled to his feet.

"I want you to go back to the last planet and bring back the horse," Faith informed him. "Liss'll give you the addresses you need to dial."

"What?" Mallie and Jem spoke at the same time, in very different tones. Mallie's voice was equal parts surprise and delight, while Jem's was completely horrified and had a plaintive, "Why me?" tacked on the end.

"Because, every time anyone other than me dials the 'Gate we get screwed," Faith explained. "So far we've ended up on an ice planet, underwater, and been captured twice."

"You forgot Duran," Mallie added helpfully.

"And we torched Duran," Faith added with a glare at Mallie. She shrugged, "Our track record kinda speaks for itself."

"And you want me to try?" Jem asked warily, his finely-honed sense of self-preservation blaring warning alarms.

"You're not a slayer," Faith pointed out. "Millions of normal people use the 'Gates without any problem every day. It's only when one of us is thrown into the mix that things get screwed up. You're our best shot."

"Actually," interceded Kay. "It's only when you go through the Chappa'ai that things go wrong," she corrected Faith. "I travelled to many worlds with no trouble before I met you."

"I used to go to the market on Chulak," Mallie reminisced.

"Fine! I'm the jinx!" Folding her arms, Faith glared at Jem, "You game?"

"I don't know how to catch a horse," Jem said feebly.

"I do!" Mallie piped up immediately, actually bouncing as she spoke. "I'll go with you."

Faced with Faith's glare and the temptation of spending some time alone with Mallie, even if that time involved a horse, versus the possibility of life-threatening danger, Jem took a deep breath, fully intending to tell them no.

"Alright," he found himself saying instead. "I'm game."

Oz checked the code he'd written on his tablet one more time before he ran it through the modified version of the tertiary emulator he had created, making sure there were no errors. There were none. It was perfect. Technically, he was supposed to be helping Colonel Carter to try to override the shop's control systems, but he'd had an... interesting idea. If it worked like it was supposed to. He was playing with a computer code he barely grasped, after all.

He ran the code through the emulator and then took a moment to fully consider what he was doing. Grinning, Oz uploaded the program he'd created into the ship's computer.

Faith's impatience to be underway was infectious, and everyone followed Mallie and Jem to the Stargate to wait for their return, even Val and Kay, who would be staying behind. The old woman, Ursula, led the way, much to Val's initial consternation. Her confusion turned to concern when Faith explained that Ursula had offered her services as a guide, leading her to point out the old woman's frailties and beg Faith to take Gunnarr instead.

Faith refused to consider it, telling Val that there was no way she was going to take Gunnarr from his family while his wife was so sick. If Hildar died, Gunnarr would be all his two children had. Having spent most of her childhood bringing herself up, there was no way Faith was gonna condemn two kids to do the same, although she didn't say so to Val. Besides, Ursula had volunteered. The old woman actually seemed excited by the prospect of a long horse ride. Different strokes...

No sooner had she settled that then Kay claimed her attention, trying to persuade her to leave another slayer behind. As she pointed out, splitting their forces evenly was a logical decision. Faith would've agreed with her, but she was keenly aware that she no idea what they were heading into. If her experiences in Sunnydale had taught her anything, it was that in a fight, one person could make the difference between victory and defeat. If necessary, two slayers could hold the cave until the others made it back. She compromised by agreeing to leave behind half of their weapons and Jem, something she'd already been planning to do. She wanted to travel light, and Jem would only slow them down. He'd be of more use here.

Of course, Jem objected to that plan. He wanted to go with them, not stay behind. He and Faith were still arguing about it when they reached the Stargate, with Mallie weighing in on Jem's side until both Kay and Nya took Faith's part. Jem was still sulking as he and Mallie stepped through the Stargate.

It shut off behind them and the tension among the small group ratcheted up dramatically as they stayed to see if the pair would return. Acutely aware that soon she'd been running and possibly fighting for her life, Faith conserved her energy by gnawing on her thumbnail as she waited helplessly, a habit she'd thought she'd managed to kick when she was a kid. Right now, she decided, she'd kill for a cigarette.

Cam was heading down a hallway, Teal'c by his side, when the two Jaffa he had zatted earlier rounded the corner, looking pissed. In a heartbeat, Cam brought his P-90 up to cover the Jaffa, who also brandished their weapons. A quick glance at Teal'c confirmed that Cam could always rely on him to have his six.

"Well, at least it ain't raining," the Colonel commented wryly.

"I have claimed this ship in the name of the Free Jaffa Nation," the leading Jaffa informed them. Cam recognised his voice. Bo'rel. "Surrender, or die!"

"This is getting a little old, don't you think?" he asked him.

"You will turn this ship back immediately," Bo'rel ordered.

"Love to," Cam told him. "Unfortunately, we're not the ones flying it."

"You lie!" Bo'rel exclaimed.

The back of Teal'c's throat rumbled and Cam glanced over at him as the legendary Jaffa lowered his weapon and stepped forward into Bo'rel's line of fire, his hands held out from his sides. Cam shifted his P-90 to cover Bo'rel's flunky instead as Teal'c spoke.

"Do you accuse me of lying as well?" Teal'c's voice held a definite note of warning. "We are unaware of who is in control of this vessel but suspect they may be onboard with us. We in fact share a common enemy."

"What have you done to my men?" Bo'rel demanded sullenly.

"They're fine," Cam told him. "Perfectly safe. You can even have 'em back if you promise to play nice. Because whatever's between us? We can finish that later," Cam informed him. "Right now we have to retake this ship."

After a moment, first Bo'rel and then the other Jaffa lowered their weapons, deactivating them. Bo'rel sighed. Cam wondered if he could get away with grinning and then decided against it.

"Take me to my men," Bo'rel dictated. "Then together we shall hunt down the intruder."

"That's more like it," Cam said with satisfaction. Slowly, so as not to spook Bo'rel, he reached up to his radio, activating it. "Hey guys," he spoke into the small plastic box. "Change of plan. Our friendly neighbourhood Jaffa are gonna give us a hand narrowing down the search."

Alone on a deserted planet, Jem watched Mallie with a mixture of admiration and trepidation as she approached the large horse. The beast tossed its head, dancing nervously back out of arm's reach despite the soothing clucking noises Mallie was making to it. Jem was staying a careful distance back from the nervous animal, which had been grazing quietly near the Stargate when it had been disturbed by the formation of a wormhole and their appearance through it. He'd lived his entire life in a city and consequently, Jem had a natural distrust of animals and nature in general. He could think of any number of things that he would prefer to do with Mallie on a deserted world, and none of them involved a horse. But Faith needed the horse, and she'd asked him to fetch it. He'd told her that he wanted to help and she'd found something he could do that she couldn't. Forgetting that he hadn't wanted to come, that he would have to stay behind when almost everyone else was heading off, Jem allowed pride to swell his thin chest.

Back home, in the alleyways of Kelowna, he'd hero-worshipped Jonas Quinn ever since the other man had saved his life in the early hours of the Ori invasion, following him loyally through the formation of the Langaran Resistance right up until the battle for the Stargate in the Lithair Tower, when Adria had thrown Jonas through the Stargate. While Jem refused to believe that Jonas was dead, his adulation had begun to find a new target. He knew the high opinion Jonas had of both the Tau'ri and Kayliss, and even though he and Kayliss hadn't always seen eye to eye he'd respected her hok'taur abilities as only a thief who'd brought himself up could. Faith was both hok'taur and Tau'ri. Jonas had been willing to sacrifice everything he had been working towards to see that Faith got back to the front lines of the battle against the Ori and Jem could understand why. Faith and the others who followed her had done more damage to the Ori forces in Kelowna than the Langaran Resistance could ever have done. He'd heard enough conversations to know that as much as she wanted to return to her homeworld, Faith also wanted to kill Adria, and every one of her Priors. Jem just hoped that if he made himself useful in the meantime, she'd let him watch. He was convinced that Faith would win. She had to; she had mystical Powers guiding her!

Finally succeeding in catching the horse, Mallie slipped his bridle in place, turning to beam at Jem with satisfaction, her blue eyes sparkling brightly. Her grin transformed her young face from pretty to beautiful and Jem's breath caught in his throat, rooting him to the spot as she approached, leading the horse behind her.

"Got him then," he said awkwardly as she reached him.

"He just wanted some attention," Mallie explained indulgently. Looking fondly up at the large beast, she reached up to scratch his neck, crooning, "Didn't you, Flash?"

"Right," Jem exclaimed and the horse snorted, its head rearing up. Jem stumbled back a pace, "Er... You hold it and I'll... dial the Stargate."

"Are you scared of Flash?" Mallie asked incredulously, unable to help smiling at the thought of anyone being scared of a horse.

"No!" Jem denied hotly and immediately. "It's just... Faith wanted me to dial."

"Faith does not care which of us dials, as long as we make it back," Mallie informed him, admiring the way that his new breeches hugged his buttocks as he walked ahead of her to the 'Gate. "And Flash would not hurt you... Would you, Flash?"

The horse snorted and Jem looked back over his shoulder in time to see the animal toss his head from side to side. Mallie laughed up at it, reaching up to scratch it again. Jem had to admit, it seemed well-trained. For a horse.

"Why Flash?" he asked curiously.

"Because he has a flash on his forehead," Mallie explained, rubbing the large white spot between the horse's eyes with her knuckles. "And looking at his points, I would say he's fast too."

"His points?" Jem said dubiously.

"His bones, his muscles, his chest..." Mallie said airily, waving her hand as Jem pushed the buttons that would take them back to Faith and the others. "That kinda thing."

"You can tell just by looking at him that he's quick?" Jem asked dubiously, pushing the last button.

"Yup!" Mallie grinned at him.

Jem was unable to resist grinning back at her. Time seemed to stand still. The breeze died down and the air hung heavily over the two staring deep into each other's eyes. Jem leant in towards Mallie... And the moment was shattered when the Stargate erupted into life. Terrified, Flash tore free from Mallie loose grasp and bolted, leaving the humans staring after him.

Peeking at Jem, Mallie blushed as her eyes met his, quickly looking away. He cleared his throat and she glanced at him to see that he was staring after Flash again, and that the tips of his ears were redder than his shaggy hair. His head turned towards her and she dragged her eyes away from him, towards the horse...

"We'd better go get him back," he said, starting down the stairs.

Mallie followed him, appreciating his new breeches once again, "I told you he was fast."

"You weren't wrong," sighed Jem, trudging towards the animal revelling in its newfound freedom.

Teal'c stood in the doorway of the room Colonel Mitchell had led them to, watching as the Colonel helped Bo'rel to free his trussed men. The Jaffa leader had informed his men of the change in plan and they offered no resistance to Colonel Mitchell's presence. Nevertheless, Teal'c remained in the doorway, keeping watch.

He wondered if Colonel Mitchell was aware of the significance of this room when he chose it to incarcerate the Jaffa warriors. Unlikely, as he had also seen fit to bind their hands and feet. Had he known the purpose of the room, he would have known also that they could not escape it.

The last of the Jaffa stood, rubbing his wrists and glaring at Colonel Mitchell, and Teal'c stood to one side, allowing Bo'rel to lead his men from the room. But when Colonel Mitchell went to follow them, Teal'c resumed his position in the middle of the doorway, blocking the only exit.

As the Colonel frowned up at him in puzzlement, Teal'c spoke, "Colonel Mitchell, are you aware of this room's purpose?"

Looking around, Colonel Mitchell shrugged, "It's a bedroom?"

"I believe, and Andrew Wells agrees with me, that this room is intended to hold a slayer against her will," Teal'c informed him. "The furniture is bonded to the walls and floor and there are no door controls within."

Turning, Cam looked at his surroundings with fresh eyes, noticing details that he hadn't before. Like the fact that there were no sharp edges on the furniture, nothing that could be remotely considered breakable... and Teal'c was right about the lack of door controls.

The deck lurched beneath Cam's feet as the mothership exited hyperspace, decelerating rapidly. His time in service on Earth's own spaceships and battle-hones reflexes kept him upright and steady as the mothership approached a planet hanging in orbit before them.

"Is that what I think it is?" Cam asked the rhetorical question, already knowing the answer.

"Dakara," Teal'c grimly confirmed.

"Great," Cam scowled as Teal'c stared out of the window, a muscle deep in his jaw twitching. "You don't think whoever's flying this boat is on a friendly trip, do you?" Teal'c's eyes flicked towards him and then away, while the muscle in his jaw twitched faster. "No, me neither," sighed Cam, reaching into his front vest pocket.

"We must not allow this ship to launch an attack," Teal'c said urgently, stepping forward, out of the doorway. Behind him, unnoticed, the door slid shut.

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing," Cam told him, holding up the detonator he held in his hand. "Luckily O'Neil and I found the engine room and planted a load of C-4 there."

"With the engines activated, there may be a significantly greater reaction to the C-4," Teal'c mused, wondering just how much explosives had been placed there as the Colonel armed the small device. He felt it incumbent on himself to warn Colonel Mitchell, "The ship may well be destroyed."

Cam lifted the trigger guard with his thumb. "Right," he said, putting his thumb on the switch. He closed his eyes...

"Colonel Mitchell?" Teal'c asked after a moment.

"I was just trying to think of some appropriate last words," Cam told him. Teal'c rumbled but said nothing. Nope, thought Cam. Still nothing.

He threw the switch, flinching in anticipation.

Nothing happened.

Unscrewing his eyes, Cam stared at the device in his hand with confusion. He transferred his gaze to Teal'c, asking, "What happened?"

"Nothing," Teal'c informed him succinctly.

"Yeah, I know," Cam told him, running through the arming procedure again. He flipped the switch again and still nothing happened. "Why not!"

"You should thank me," Adria informed her mother and Daniel Jackson as she opened her eyes and turned to face them. "I just saved your lives."

"What are you talking about?" Vala asked her quietly, confused.

Two very familiar people appeared in the doorway, the guns in their hands pointed at her daughter. Adria gestured and the two men were separated from their weapons, flying back to hit the other side of the hallway wall as the doors of the room slid shut.

"Jon!" Daniel shouted involuntarily, concerned for him.

"Patience, Deama," Adria counselled the tense girl as she started towards the door, stopping her in her tracks.

"Where are they?" Faith fretted, glaring at the Stargate as she paced back and forth in the small clearing. "They should be back by now....How long has it been?"

Her question was directed at Liss, the only person there with a watch. It was times like this that Faith really missed hers, but it had been trashed during their watery arrival on the world with the nightlight made up of the elements. It had been a Christmas present from Robin. Shame he hadn't shelled out for a waterproof one.

"Almost twenty minutes," Liss told her, looking just as worried as Faith felt.

In fact the only person there who didn't seem in the least concerned that the Stargate had been active for over twenty minutes with no sign of Jem or Mallie was Ursula, who was sitting on a large rock as she picked bits of food out from between her few remaining teeth with a long fingernail and ate them again. Liss and Val were fidgeting while Nya nibbled at her upper lip, having already chewed her bottom lip to red-rawness, and Kay gnawed on her thumbnail. If an Ori patrol had come across them then, it's highly unlikely that any of them would have noticed before the first shots were fired, so perhaps it's just as well that none did.

Imagining the worst, Faith blamed herself, "I knew I shouldn't have sent them."

"You didn't have a choice," Kay exonerated her. "Unless you want to walk there, and that'll take days."

"Does it matter if we take a little longer to get there?" Faith replied rhetorically.

Nya answered her anyway with a one-word reminder, "Whistler."

Wincing, Faith acknowledged her point.

"Who is Whistler?" Val asked curiously, watching the byplay with fascination.

"Long story," Faith told her, her eyes fixed on the rippling wormhole.

"He works for The Powers That Be," Nya explained.

"Or not," Faith commented wryly with a grimace.

"He's their messenger," Kay added. "Apparently we're running behind schedule."

"We're on a schedule?" Liss demanded incredulously.

"The apocalypse is always scheduled," Faith told her seriously. "It's like a good rave... the trick is finding out where and when."

"Do you know those things?" asked Val, frowning as she wondered what Faith meant by a rave.

"Fuck, no!" said Faith, adding bitterly, "Whistler didn't bother to mention it. Just passed on some vague warnings and left. Typical PtB."

"The Gods do not help those who will not help themselves," Ursula said into the short silence that fell after Faith's words.

Faith stared at her, "What?" That sounded vaguely like something she remember Cam's grandma saying back when they'd been mind-melded.

"Thor helps those who help themselves," Ursula repeated for her.

"That's what I thought you said," Faith told her, mentally processing the fact that the Asgard were ripping off the bible. A millennia-old civilisation and they couldn't come up with something more original of their own. Still, she supposed that the old ones were the best for a reason. Like Star Wars.

"Okay!" she decided, done processing. "We're going after them."

"We can't go anywhere until the wormhole shuts down," Liss reminded her as she headed towards the Stargate. She glanced at her watch, "Which won't be for another quarter of an hour."

"I hate waiting," Faith growled, breaking off to resume pacing.

"We noticed," Kay told her, switching thumbnails.

The light reflecting off the open wormhole rippled oddly and Mallie and Jem walked out of it, leading a familiar horse behind them. Faith ignored the fact that Jem was holding the reins, focussing on the pair's grass-stained clothing and rumpled appearance.

"What happened?" she demanded, striding towards them.

"Oh, um... Flash spooked when the Chappa'ai connected and bolted," Mallie excused weakly.

"We had to catch him again," Jem added with more bravado. Faith sceptically eyed his new shirt, now ripped at the shoulder.

Mallie rushed to explain, "Jem fell down."

"Right..." Faith said, not believing a word of it. Mallie was just as grass-stained as he was. "An' I guess you fell over him."

"Yes!" Mallie seized on the excuse with relief.

"Okay, lovebirds, say your goodbyes and give Ursula a hand up," instructed Faith, turning away. "You'll see each other in a couple of days."

Approaching Kay, she added quietly, "If we're not back by then..."

"We'll go back to Camelot and wait for the SGC to make contact," Kay repeated obediently, not bothering to mention that she had no intention of following Faith's instructions. She'd see Gunnarr and his family to the safety of the deserted world and then she'd bring Val back and find Faith.

"Remember, don't die," Faith said in farewell.

"You too," Kay told her.

"Ursula, you ready?" Faith asked, turning around. "Then let's go!"

"SG-1, this is Odyssey. Do you read?"

Work in the control room ceased as the message crackled out of Sam's radio, bringing both her and Oz's heads up from their laptops.

They exchanged glances as she replied, "Odyssey, this is Colonel Carter."

"We're going to try and beam you out of there," Colonel Emerson told her.

"It won't work," Sam warned him. "The shield is still active. I'm trying to shut it down. Please stand ready." Looking over at Oz, she asked, "Anything?"

Oz shook his head, wishing he hadn't taken the time off to create his program now. Colonel Carter bent her head over her computer tablet, her fingers dancing across the screen, and Oz followed her example. But it was his radio's turn to crackle into life.

"Hey, we found out who's controlling the ship," Jon announced.

"Who?" Mitchell demanded.

"Adria," Jon told him. He didn't wait to let the bad news sink in, piling more on top of it instead, "She's got Daniel, Vala and the Doc locked in a room on the seventh level."

"Pull the plug," Oz said suddenly, and not into his radio.

Sam looked up at him, frowning. "What?"

"Whatever you did before," Oz told her urgently. "Do it again."

"It won't be that easy," Daniel said to Adria.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Adria asked him. "I'm about to destroy the only real threat against us." She didn't consider Faith and her followers to be a serious threat. They were her Clava, and they would worship her. It was foretold. Deama was proof that it would be so.

"You're forgetting about someone," Daniel said and Adria frowned. "What about the Ancients?"

"You know as well as I do that they'll never get involved," Adria told him, smiling. Still, his faith in them was almost touching. At least, it would be if his allegiance wasn't to her enemy. "We have free reign in this galaxy."

"Adria, listen to me," Vala said urgently, stepping forward. "I promise to stay with you," she said recklessly, trying her hardest to save her friends. "I'll hear you out on the whole Origin thing. I'll even try to keep an open mind. Just let everyone else go."

Shots from a staff weapon impacted against the locked door, swiftly followed by others. Adria turned her head to look.

"It's too late for them," she absently told her mother. "But don't worry," she reassured her, turning to look at Daniel Jackson. "I'll be keeping him alive as well. We have plans for you," she informed him.

"If I do that again, the power'll go off everywhere," Sam explained to Oz why his plan wouldn't work. "Including the airlocks."

"Good news," Jon's voice interrupted their conversation. "The cavalry just showed up. The rate Bo'rel and his guys are firing, we'll be through the door in no time."

"We don't need long," Oz reminded her. "Then the oxygen-issue won't be one."

Sam's eyes widened as the logic of his argument hit home. The fingers of one hand danced over her tablet as she reached for her radio with the other, "Odyssey, on my signal."

"Speaking of doors..." Mitchell began. The lights went out.

"Now!" Sam spoke and the gloomy bridge disappeared, replaced by the bright control room of the Odyssey. Oz squinted against the lights as he stood, grateful that he'd hung on to his computer and backpack.

"Never mind," said Mitchell.

"Get us out of here," Emerson ordered.

"Yes, sir," Marks confirmed, already manoeuvring the ship. In seconds, they'd made the jump to hyperspace.

"We shall never speak of this again," Colonel Mitchell said to Teal'c.

"Agreed," Teal'c hastily replied.

"Doc!" Jon exclaimed, catching sight of the unconscious redhead.

Rushing to her side, he knelt beside her as Colonel Emerson ordered a medical team to the bridge. She was breathing and her colour was good, so she wasn't dead. He couldn't see any obvious injuries and glared accusingly up at Daniel.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"Deama," Vala told him before Daniel had a chance to reply. "She knocked her out."

"Who's Deama?" Andrew asked curiously as Jon frowned. Neither of them had seen Deama, who had deliberately placed herself where she could not be seen from the door.

"Adria's Clava," Daniel informed him.

"Great," groaned Cam. "Just what we need."

"What the hell's a Clava?" Jon wanted to know.

"I'm not entirely sure," Daniel told him and Jon's glare intensified. "But I think it's a slayer who's converted to Origin."

There was a stunned silence as the conscious members of SG-13 (who'd missed the morning prostration on just that topic) digested this new information. Meanwhile, the Odyssey's command crew found themselves wondering what a slayer was.

"That sucks," Oz said finally, summing up the situation succinctly.

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.

It wasn't long after Faith left that the first Ori patrol showed up. Watching from her vantage point, concealed in the branches of a tree on the edge of the small Stargate clearing, Kay waited until all four men had carelessly trampled their way into her sights before she fired. They were dead before they had the chance to work out where she was, or even report that they were under fire.

Dropping to the ground, Kay cautiously approached them, all her senses on the alert for any sign that there might be more patrols in the area. But there was nothing out of place as she collected their weapons before disposing of the bodies with her zat'nik'tel. Heading back to her tree, behind and to one side of the Chappa'ai, she easily climbed back into her eyrie, settling in to wait for the next patrol.

They took a while to show up and Kay passed the time by running a mental inventory of their supplies, starting with those they had at the cave and continuing with the stuff they'd left behind on the other planet. They'd left some useful items behind, enough to make her glad that they were going back and had the chance to retrieve them. At least, she was assuming that they were going back. Surely Faith wasn't planning on sending the Cimmerians through the Chappa'ai on their own?

A movement at the edge of the clearing caught her eye and she focussed on the task at hand. Defending the Chappa'ai from the four soldiers creeping into the clearing. Taking careful aim, Kay hesitated when she heard a twig snap in a completely different direction. Keeping her zat'nik'tel trained on the Ori soldiers heading for the Chappa'ai, Kay turned her head in the direction of the noise, searching for the cause. A movement caught her eye and she frowned as she squinted through the leafy foliage. There! Another patrol was flanking the clearing, covering the first. They weren't taking any chances this time.

Kay grinned as she spotted a weakness in their plan. Although the second patrol were keeping the first in their line of sight, the original four soldiers didn't know where the others were. Their attempt at covert glances into the treeline was laughable. Or, it would be if she dared make a sound.

Tucking her zat'nik'tel into the bag of weapons she wore over her shoulder, Kay reached up and took hold of the branch over her head, easily pulling herself to her feet. Turning around, she hopped from branch to branch until she was within reaching distance of a branch from another tree. Calculating a route that would lead her on a course to intercept the second patrol, she moved through the forest in the branches of the trees, leaping the distance when they grew too far apart.

Arriving at the spot she'd chosen ahead of the soldiers, she pulled out her knife, waiting patiently as they approached, heading straight into her trap. They walked directly beneath her, and as they did, Kay dropped from the tree, knife in hand.

They died quickly, and soundlessly, and Kay was able to turn her attention to the first patrol. Wiping her knife clean on the forest floor, she traded it for her zat'nik'tel, heading back to the edge of clearing in search of a clear shot at the soldiers clustered around the DHD.

She had to circle around the clearing before she got it, and the soldiers had a panel off the side of the DHD by the time she got there. Worse, the one peering inside was clearly talking to their ship and he managed to get out a wordless cry of warning before he died.

Knowing that she only had minutes before her position was overrun, Kay worked quickly, getting rid of the bodies without taking the time to strip them of their weapons. She had more than enough already. She replaced the DHD panel before she climbed back up into her tree, aware that this was probably the last time she could get away with using it.

Minutes passed. More came and went. Bored, Kay began to compile a list of everything she missed about her life before she met Faith. Like her bed. She hadn't realised how much she loved her warm, soft bed with its crisp clean sheets until it was gone.

A whining sound distracted her and she looked up at the sky as it increased. A small alien ship flew overhead, dropping a ring platform into the clearing with chilling precision. Instantly, the rings shot up, a group of soldiers bunched tightly together materialising inside even as the obelisk in front of the Chappa'ai hummed and shot a beam of light out. Kay opened fire immediately, but the soldiers scattered in all directions as soon as the rings dropped down and some made it into the trees as the obelisk continued to scan the rings.

Swearing, Kay dropped to the ground, instantly on the move. Several shots from Ori weapons flew towards her tree and she marked their directions in her mind. There was a bright flash from the clearing and she glanced behind her to see that the ring platform had disappeared and the obelisk was powering down.

Interesting... Had the obelisk really just destroyed the ring platform? Kay wondered why it would do that and leave the Ori intact as she hunted down the surviving soldiers. Unless... Ursula had mentioned something about Thor's hammer protecting them against Ettins... The obelisk was hammer-shaped, and if the Ettins were the Goa'uld then it would make sense that it would react against technology that the Goa'uld also used, and not against the Ori people specifically.

This time she didn't have time to get rid of the bodies before another two patrols made their appearance, followed rapidly by several more. Kay held her position for as long as she could, almost another hour, but when the Ori ship returned with another ring platform to drop a Prior and his guards directly into the clearing, she had to fall back.

Rather than lead them back to the cave, she struck out in a southern direction, deliberately crashing through bushes and making as much noise as possible to draw them away. She left a few bodies on the way too, before she doubled back, silent now as she circled around the searching patrols.

She was almost back at the cave when she heard the sound of boots crunching against the loose pebbles underfoot. Just one person, headed directly towards her. Grabbing her knife, she ducked behind a nearby boulder, clutching her zat'nik'tel in her other hand as she lined up her arm to throw...

A familiar figure trudged around the corner and Kay sighed as she relaxed, moving out from behind the boulder. Jem jumped as she came into view and brought his own zat'nik'tel up before he recognised her and pulled his arm away.

"What's happened?" Kay anxiously asked.

"Nothing," Jem scowled. "I'm bored. What're you doing?"

Behind her, Kay caught the sound of people approaching. Grabbing Jem, she pulled him into the undergrowth and behind a large bush. They crouched side by side, peering through the branches as four Ori soldiers tramped past, heading up the path towards the cave. Jem drew his knife, his lips pulled back in a silent snarl as he rose slightly, moving to follow them.

"No!" Kay whispered, pulling him down. "Not this close to the cave."

"What's going on?" Jem whispered back.

"There's a Prior at the Chappa'ai," Kay told him, listening carefully as she followed the soldiers progress. "The woods are crawling with soldiers. We can't risk drawing attention to the cave."

"What do we do?" Jem asked quietly.

"Get back to the cave," Kay instructed in a low voice. "Let them know what's going on."

"What are you going to do?" Jem asked her.

"Create a distraction," Kay told him with a grin. "Give me two minutes before you move."

"Alright," Jem agreed uneasily. "Kay!" he stopped her as she went to move off. "The chap-pie's the Stargate, right?"

It was times like this that she loved being a slayer. The feel of the wind whipping through her hair, the aching burn in her lungs and the powerful strides of her legs beneath her, all combining to lull her mind into a calmer, almost meditative state. The itching need to be moving, to be doing, obliterated in the freedom of physical action. Even the nagging feeling that she was running out of time had faded away. Faith felt like she could run forever.

To her surprise, the horse hadn't slowed them down that much, and limiting themselves to his speed helped the slayers to pace themselves. Occasionally they'd come across an Ori patrol and have to slow their speed to edge around them, giving everyone a breather from their head-long gallop. So far, they'd avoided being spotted. Faith had her fingers crossed that it would stay that way. Although sneaking around wasn't her style the planet was crawling with Ori forces, way more than she and her girls could handle. It had taken time, but Faith had learned her limits the hard way. For now, she'd settle for getting the survivors off this planet, and hope that she found a slayer at the next hideout.

Adria!

Clawing herself awake, Jool sat bolt upright. Her head swam sickeningly as the room tilted drastically and she sank back on the pillows with a nauseous groan.

"Easy, Doc," soothed the Captain, and Jool made the effort to focus on him. "You're onboard the Odyssey, in the infirmary."

"Vala?" Jool asked anxiously. "Daniel?"

"Everyone's fine," he reassured her. "Everyone but you that is."

"I'm okay," Jool insisted, pushing herself further up the pillows and ignoring the dizziness that ensued. "What happened?"

"A rogue slayer fractured your skull, that's what happened," Jon told her impatiently.

"The black-haired girl..." Jool remembered.

"Deama," Jon supplied helpfully.

"She hits like a sledgehammer," Jool reminisced ruefully.

"Yeah, well it looks like that sledgehammer's working with Adria," he informed her.

"Hey," Jool said woozily, her mind going off on a tangent. "How did we get off the ship?"

"The Odyssey showed up and beamed us off," Jon explained.

"That was lucky," commented Jool. She realised something, "You have green in your eyes."

"They're hazel," Jon told her, frowning. "You okay, Doc?"

"I'm okay..." she said quickly. "How long was I out? I should ask that shouldn't I?"

"About nine hours, give or take," said Jon. "We've been onboard the Odyssey for four of those."

"Are we going to Langara now?" she asked him, resting her head back against the pillow.

"Uh... no," Jon said, not liking the vague look in her eyes and wondering if he should call a nurse over. "Back to Earth. The SGC sent us a subspace message. Jonas is awake and General Landry's ordered us back. Emerson's going to drop us off at a planet with a Stargate and continue on to Earth with you."

"Why can't I go with you?" she asked drowsily, frowning as she slid further down the bed so that her head was better supported by the pillow. "I'm his doctor..."

"You have a skull fracture, Doc," Jon gently reminded her.

"Psshaw," the Doc scoffed lethargically, waving one hand in his general direction. "I'll be over it by the time we get there." She yawned, "Probably... won't, even remember, thinking that I fancy the pants off you right now," she sighed. "Which is good 'cause I really shouldn't." She blinked, and frowned, looking confused, "Except... I just told you and I shouldn't do that either. Shhh..." she looked solemnly up at him. "It's a secret."

"You... fancy..." Jon repeated slowly. His lips twitched upwards.

"The pants off you," she repeated on another sigh. "It's true... Which just goes to show..." she mumbled as her eyes drifted shut, continuing sleepily, "I must be really perverse."

Jon winced, staring down at the sleeping woman as he stood by her bed. He knew what she meant. Any way you looked at it, one of them was a cradle-snatcher. Hell, if you measured his age in terms of actual existence, it made her a pedophile! That alone was the reason why a relationship between them would never work. The fact that he was her commanding officer, although a problem, wasn't as insurmountable in their case as it was for Carter and Jack. Jool was a civilian and therefore not subject to the regulations that had scuppered any chance of a relationship between him and Carter. It wasn't that holding him back this time. It was his age. All three of them, mental, biological and chronological; and the fact that he had so many to take into account. He was either too old, too young or way too young for her, and she deserved better than the clone of a man who was old enough to be her Grandfather. Still he couldn't resist smoothing her springy hair back from her face before he went to go fetch the ship's doctor.

The sun was hanging low in the direction Faith had mentally termed west, gilding the countryside with its amber rays and turning the cliffs in front of them golden as Ursula reined Flash into a fast trot. The sturdy horse was blowing hard now, his bay coat dark with sweat. The slayers surrounding him were just as sweat-stained and as grateful for the chance to slow down and catch their breath, instantly adjusting their pace to his. They hadn't seen an Ori patrol for several hours now, and had been pushing hard.

"How much further?" panted Mallie, running next to the horse.

"Almost there," rasped Ursula, reaching for her waterbottle.

"You said that half an hour ago," Liss pointed out.

"Halt!" the male voice rung out authoritatively and the slayers reacted instantly, reaching for their weapons as they stopped while Ursula reined in. "Identify yourselves!"

"That you, Alfred?" Ursula replied, peering up into the branches. Faith followed her gaze to see a middle-aged man sitting in the tree, a longbow aimed in their direction. "You're as ignorant as the day I helped your mother birth you if you can't recognise me, boy."

"Ursula," the man said, lowering his bow. "I thought..."

"That a pack of women might turn out to be Ori soldiers?" Ursula finished scathingly. "Get down from there and lead us in. We come in Thor's name."

When Jon stuck his head around the infirmary door half an hour later, the Doc was looking much more like herself, sitting up in bed as she bossed the Odyssey's medical personnel around. Poor Doc Parnell, the ship's senior medical officer, had a bemused expression on his face as he watched her from a discreet distance. Jon sympathised with him. After all, it couldn't be every day that a recently-admitted patient with severe head trauma suddenly woke up and took charge of his infirmary. The Doc's slayer abilities and their supernatural origin were classified up the wazoo, and the wide-spread rumours that surrounded her back at the SGC hadn't had a chance to make it up to the Odyssey yet. Parnell had no idea what he was dealing with. Jon had made the difficult decision earlier not to inform him about the Doc's accelerated healing rate, on Andrew's recommendation. The young watcher believed the severity of the Doc's head injury warranted bed rest for the extra day it would take the Odyssey to reach Earth. If Parnell knew how quickly she healed it would be easier for the Doc to convince him to release her early. Of course, if she kept improving at this rate, he was going to find out anyway.

Grinning, Jon ambled towards the bridge, his hands stuffed in his pockets. They weren't due to arrive at the planet for a while yet. Plenty of time left to confuse Emerson with his presence again. The Colonel was clearly desperate to know how a teenager had not only made Captain but had also been given command of the formerly defunct SG-13, now made up of civilians almost as young as their Captain appeared. Emerson knew better than to ask however, which only made the look of bemused puzzlement lurking in the back of his eyes whenever he caught sight of Jon all the more amusing. Jon knew he shouldn't torment him, but in space you had to make your own entertainment. Especially when The Simpsons wasn't available.

Alfred led them towards a small outcropping of the cliff, taking a circuitous route. By the time they finally reached the cliff the light was fading fast and if it hadn't been for her enhanced sense of sight, Faith would have easily mistaken the small opening in the cliff as just another shadow. But her eyes picked out depths to the shadow that normal eyes would miss as Ursula awkwardly dismounted. The old woman staggered and would have fallen if Nya hadn't reached her, propping her up and helping her to step forward as Alfred led them into the dark cave with Mallie leading Flash at the rear of the group.

They were challenged within the first few metres. Alfred vouched for them and they were able to continue on through several narrow twists and turns that made Faith grateful she wasn't the one leading the horse, until they reached a small dimly lit cavern with several tunnels leading off from it and the two men waiting there. They stared openly at the small party as Alfred was handed a flaming torch to guide them deeper into the cave system and Mallie was gruffly told to leave Flash there, reluctantly complying after a glance at Faith.

Faith was starting to get a bad feeling about this. While she was sure that she could find her way back to the exit, she would have preferred to have a backup available, in case things went FUBAR and they had to make a sudden getaway. Now they were being forced to leave Flash behind, which, if they took Ursula with them when they left, meant that the slayers would be forced to travel at the old woman's speed. With every step she took away from the entrance to the cave system, her stomach dropped a little further.

Alfred led them into one of the tunnels and Faith looked back over her shoulder to see Flash being led down a separate one. Looking back, she was careful to keep the torch Alfred was holding out of her direct line of sight. The flickering flame would only hurt her sensitive eyes. Truth was, she could see better without it. They travelled in silence, heading down a slight incline and round several bends before Faith's ears caught the distant murmur in the background. Rising and falling, it almost sounded like water, but she instantly recognised it for what it was. People. Lots of 'em, all talking together.

Her spirits rose. It sounded like there were a lot more survivors here. Maybe these people had a shot at rebuilding their civilisation after all. And, maybe, she'd find a slayer here.

In the end, although there weren't as many as Faith had hoped, there were still a sizable number of people living in the large, high-roofed cavern they found at the end of the tunnel. Huddled in small groups around fire, their conversation faltered as Alfred led them into their midst and then picked up, buzzing with excitement and curiosity. People began to get up, to move closer and Faith glanced around uneasily.

A large crowd was gathering around the newcomers and their path back to the tunnel was blocked behind them. Although the native's faces were friendly and curious, many of them carried weapons and Faith got the feeling that their mood could turn ugly in a heartbeat. There was an undercurrent of tension running through the inhabitants of the cave system, and it spread to the slayers. They clustered closer, putting Ursula in the middle of them with their backs facing her and each other as they stared watchfully at the people surrounding them.

"What's going on?" a male voice demanded as the crowd stirred and a man pushed himself to the front. Blonde and broad-shouldered, he looked to be in his late twenties, but the crowd ceded control of the situation to him as he faced the newcomers.

"Ursula," he greeted the old woman with a mixture of surprise, fear and delight. "What brings you here?"

"Brock," Ursula replied, nodding her head to him. She looked around the crowd, smiling slightly, the first smile Faith had seen on her lined face, "Where's your father?"

Brock's welcoming smile faded away as pain flashed in the back of his eyes and Ursula's smile faltered and fell. "When?" she asked simply.

"Three days ago," Brock told her. "He was leading a raid against the Ori settlement up the mountain."

"He died with honour," Ursula observed, nodding her grizzled head solemnly.

Faith's attention had been caught by something else and she broke in on their conversation to demand, "What settlement?"

As Brock frowned at her, Ursula hurried to make the introductions, naming each of the slayer's present by name and introducing Faith last. "She is their leader," she added unnecessarily.

"Your clothing is strange and unusual," Brock told Faith. "Where in Cimmeria do you hail from?"

"Not from Cimmeria," Faith informed him succinctly. "None of us are. I'm from a place you call Midgard."

"Truly?" Brock's eyebrows climbed his forehead in surprise.

"Truly," Ursula confirmed. "Thor has sent them to aid us."

And with that pronouncement, any control that Brock had over the crowd vanished as they pressed excitedly forward, buzzing with eager questions. The volume got louder and louder as the slayers were jostled, each facing a barrage of queries. Herded further and further back, they glanced at each of them, catching Mallie and Liss' eyes. She noticed that Nya wasn't dealing well with the crowd, fingering the hilt of her sword nervously as they were pressed back.

"Enough!" Brock's voice roared out above the crowd and the questions ceased, trailing off into an uncomfortable silence as everyone turned to look at the large man. "Return to your hearths," he continued in a much more reasonable tone. "Hearth-leaders, I shall meet with you in one hour."

Slowly, and with much muttering, the crowd began to disperse. Lingerers found themselves on the receiving end of a stern look from their leader as he beckoned Faith and the others forward. They went with him.

Brock took them away from the crowd, to a small alcove in the cavern wall some distance from the fires, lighting the two torches kept there and inviting them to sit. The only seats available were on the floor but that didn't bother Faith and she quickly settled down on the floor with a sigh of relief. After several hours of non-stop running it felt good to be off her feet. The other slayers followed her example and Brock found a low chair for Ursula before he joined them on the ground. The flickering flames of the torches cast shadows over all of their faces.

"Now tell me," he said when they were all settled. "What does Thor wish us to do?"

Ursula glanced at Faith, as did everyone else. Faith hesitated for a moment, seeking the right words. Brock waited patiently.

"There's this other planet," she said eventually. "It's been abandoned. No-one would look for you there."

"Thor wishes us to abandon Cimmeria?" Brock interrupted her to ask incredulously. "Our sanctuary for centuries. To leave without a fight?"

"Thor wants you to live," Faith countered. "Fighting's just getting you killed."

"Cimmeria is our world, our home," Brock told her. "It is all we know. There is no honour in running away."

"I hear you," said Faith, understanding his point of view. She preferred the hands-on approach herself. "But we've got a saying on my world, 'he who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day'. There'll be other battles."

"Why does Thor not tell us himself?" demanded Brock. "Why send women in his place?"

"Well, he's busy," Faith said weakly. "He's got his own battles to fight."

"Ragnorak?" Brock asked anxiously.

"Uhh..." said Faith, thinking fast. Wasn't Ragnorak the end of the world? "No."

"These are no ordinary women, Brock," Ursula spoke up for the first time. "They are battle-maidens." Brock looked startled, and his quick glance at Faith was laden with respect. Faith frowned as Ursula continued, "Faster than a horse, quieter than a mouse, and more deadly than a man."

"All of them?" asked Brock. "Are you certain?"

"Certain?" Ursula cackled dryly, "Did they not keep pace with my horse all afternoon? Did they not detect the Ori long before I could, and lead us safely round them? Have they not avenged Olaf's death? Certain, he asks... Pah!" the old woman spat on the ground. "Do you believe me so addled that I can't see what's in front of me? So old that I am incapable? Are you blind that you cannot see further than your nose to what lies before it? These women are our saviours, come to lead us to Valhalla!"

"Uh..." objected Faith. What the hell was Valhalla?

"And do you welcome them with open arms?" Ursula continued to scold Brock, ignoring the interruption. "No, you greet them with suspicion and doubt. How long do you think you can survive alone against the Ori? Thor is not coming to your aid, but he has sent his chosen to deliver us. You would be well served if they left you here to moulder. Stay if you wish, but I shall be leaving with them."

"But-But Thor has never called more than one battle-maiden at a time," said Brock, clearly knocked off-balance by Ursula's fierce argument.

"Yeah, it used to be that way back home," Faith told him, glad to be back on more familiar ground. These guys' battle-maidens sounded a lot like slayers. "Now there's hundreds of us running around, all getting in each other's way. But Mallie, Nya an' Liss, they were the only ones on their planets." She was struck by a sudden thought, "Least, I hope they were."

"I was the only freakishly strong girl I knew," Mallie rushed to reassure Faith.

"As was I," Nya confirmed tranquilly.

"Cool," said Faith. "Last thing we need is to be leaving people behind. Speakin' of which," she abruptly turned her attention back to Brock. "There any battle-maidens in your people? She'dve been called a couple of years ago."

"You believe that a battle-maiden has been called on Cimmeria?" asked Brock. "Such a thing has not happened in centuries. It would be wondrous indeed! Any girl so fortunate to be chosen would be well known to me, to all of Cimmeria."

"So, that's a no?" said Faith as Ursula nodded her agreement with the large man. "Damn!"

She'd been convinced that she'd find another slayer here. The news that even though the Cimmerians were familiar with the concept, no-one had heard of a slayer being called in centuries was a bitter blow, and came at the end of a very long day. Faith wasn't even sure how long she'd been up now, and although Liss could no doubt tell her, she didn't want to know. She could see that there were several hours of activity in front of them, as they got the camp ready for the trek back to the Stargate. Hopefully she could get her head down for a couple of hours before they actually moved out. Wrapt in her own thoughts, she failed to notice the frown on Brock's face, but Ursula did.

"What?" demanded the old woman, reaching out to poke him with a bony finger. "Speak your mind boy!"

Brock jumped, and absent-mindedly rubbed his arm where Ursula's long fingernail had jabbed it as he replied, "I was just thinking..."

"What is it?" Faith asked him, her heart rising.

"Skardhe's girl..." Brock's reply failed to enlighten the majority of those gathered there.

"Skardhe?" Ursula repeated with surprise. "He still alive?"

"Who's Skardhe?" Liss asked curiously.

"He was friends with my father," Brock explained. "They worked the same farm before Skardhe and his wife moved up the mountain to their own holding. They eked out a living up there for a few years before Lifa, Skardhe's wife, died."

"Foolish man!" the testy words burst of out Ursula as the old woman scowled. "He should have sent for me from the start, not waited until it became obvious the babe was breech."

"My father said that Skardhe changed then," Brock told them. "That he retreated within himself. He shunned company, took his child and moved further up the mountain."

"They've lived up there ever since," Ursula took up the tale. "Just the two of them. I'll say this for him, he's a good hunter. Some of my best pelts have come from him."

"What about his daughter?" Faith asked, seeing that the two could go on reminiscing all night if she let them.

"No-one knows much about her," Ursula said with a glance at Brock. "Skardhe comes down from the mountain now and then to trade but he keeps the girl at home. She must be almost twenty now but no-one's seen her since she was a babe."

"Until the Ori invaded," Brock said significantly and Ursula gave him a sharp look. He leaned forward intently as he explained, "Skardhe's come across a few survivors wandering around up there. He sent most of them to us, but some stayed."

"Why?" Ursula demanded incredulously.

"Skardhe's leading them in raids against the Ori," Brock told her.

"You said something about a settlement up the mountain," remembered Faith. She'd meant to ask him about it but it had slipped her weary mind.

"They're looking for something up there," said Brock. "Their priests have got the men digging everywhere."

"Looking for what?" Mallie asked breathlessly, her eyes wide.

"I wish I knew," Brock told her with a shrug.

"Okay, so the Ori are digging up the mountain looking for something and this Skardhe's recruiting people to stop 'em," Faith summed up. "But what about his kid?"

Brock frowned, "Skardhe doesn't keep goats."

Faith sighed and dropped her head into her heads. She felt like banging her head against the cave wall. If only she had the energy to get up.

"She means his daughter," Nya interpreted for her and Brock's confused frown melted away.

"Oh!" he realised. "Those that Skardhe sent to us said that she was the equal of any of the men who stayed. One boy called her Valkyrie."

"We've already got a Val," Mallie informed him. "We left her back at the Stargate."

Ursula snorted in derision, "Girl's called Elifa. In honour of her mother."

"Elle it is then," Faith sighed. "Which way and how far?"

Paler than usual, and sweating as she struggled to maintain her perfect balance despite the way the floor was swaying under her feet, Jool carefully made her way to the control room of the Odyssey in time to see SG-1 and her team disappear in a flash of light as she clung to the doorframe to catch her breath. Setting her jaw stubbornly, she moved into the room, determined to follow them.

On the planet below, Daniel had just begun to dial the Stargate when there was a bright flash and Jool was transported into their midst. She staggered, one hand going up to her swimming head, but managed to catch herself before Jon, lunging forward to catch her, could. He pulled himself up with metres to spare, his angry "Doc!" joining with the others' astonished exclamations.

Jool winced at the noise levels. "Not so loud," she begged, dropping her hand from her head.

"Stop dialling," Jon ordered Daniel.

Daniel started to automatically obey him and then checked himself, glancing at Mitchell. Mitchell nodded and Daniel stepped back from the DHD, letting the Stargate spin itself out. He glanced at Sam, catching her eye before they both turned back to look at the red-haired doctor in the middle of a concerned crowd.

"I'm fine!" Jool was insisting. "Really. Doctor Parnell released me."

"Why?" Jon demanded suspiciously.

"Because I'm fine," Jool told him, not mentioning the IV pole she'd bent into a knot to convince the Odyssey's doctor to let her go. "He cleared me for 'Gate travel."

"Yeah, right," scoffed Jon. "You can barely stand."

Jool, one arm slung over Vala's shoulders, glared at him. Beside him, Oz cleared his throat.

"Dude, drop it," the short werewolf advised. Jon frowned at him and Oz elaborated sagely, "That's a resolve face."

"I hate to break up the reunion," Mitchell said over the top of them all. "But are we heading out or not?"

"Odyssey, this is Captain O'Neil," Jon spoke into his radio. The Odyssey failed to respond and he frowned. "Odyssey, come in."

"They left," Jool told him smugly.

"Jackson, dial it up," Mitchell ordered. "Let's go home."

Hanging in geo-stationary orbit high above the ruins of Dakara, a light on one of the consoles in the bridge of the Ori mothership began to blink as the ship registered an incoming subspace communication from one of its sister-ships. In her room, Adria tilted her head to one side as she mentally accessed the message while Deama watched her stoically from across the room. With a thought, she sent back a message announcing her imminent arrival before she jumped the ship into hyperspace, never noticing that the transmission took several seconds longer than necessary.

"We are going to a world called Cimmeria," she announced to Deama.

Deama looked steadily back at her, not venturing a question. In truth, she had none. The Orici had all but subsumed her personality, leaving nothing behind but a devout trust in Adria's divine rule and a blind rage against all who would oppose Origin. Much of Deama's mind had been hollowed out to make room for Adria who, when she wished, could take total control of Deama's body, turning the misguided slayer into nothing more than a physical extension of Adria's mind and will. But, sitting alone on a deserted mothership, isolated amongst those who worshipped her and abandoned by her mother, Adria felt a strong need to talk to someone, anyone, despite her half-Ori heritage. In this case her human side was definitely the stronger, and felt the need for companionship. And so she confided in the girl she had lobotomised.

"My Priors have captured a girl they believe to be Clava. They are holding her for my inspection. Soon you will have a sister. Would you like that?"

Silence.

"I knew you would."