AN: Thanks again for everyone who had reviewed the previous chapters. And Happy Belated Birthday to Pippi g. This part is beta-read by Sandra, thanks for the suggestions girl.
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"This is interesting"
Jack lifted his head from his yo-yo and shared a look with Teal'c.
"Care to share it with the rest of the world, Daniel?" Jack asked, casually putting his yo-yo back in his pocket.
He and Teal'c had been keeping Daniel company in his office while figured out the pictures.
He was gutted that he'd missed Carter's check-in this morning; he had been in the middle of a meeting with the team leaders of SG units 6, 7, and 9 to talk about the SG-Alpha members' performances.
Fortunately, Daniel had been there and kept him informed about what Carter had found in P89 768.
"No wonder Halle didn't understand the drawings on the wall. They weren't in the correct order."
"Should they be?"
Daniel ignored him and rearranged the photographs in front of him. He handed one to him.
"First one. Seven women descended from the sky."
Jack raised his eyebrow. The drawing showed seven female figures floating between the clouds and ground. He passed it on to Teal'c when Daniel gave him the second one.
"Second. They were bathing in a lake or a river."
True to Daniel's word, the women were in a pond or lake. Some were swimming and some were playing with each other, dipping in the shallow water. He passed it to Teal'c as Daniel handed him the next one.
"Third. Six of them flying back."
Just to be sure, he counted the figures.
"What happened to the other one?"
Daniel skipped some pictures before finally finding the one he'd been searching for. He turned it around so that both of his friends could see. Jack leaned closer to get a better look and blinked his eyes.
"So ... what happened here?"
"She had a family. Probably married a local man and had children."
"Two children." Teal'c provided helpfully.
The picture showed the woman holding a baby and a toddler, standing in front of a small house. There was a man standing just behind her.
A perfect family's portrait.
"This reminded me a lot of a well-known folk story in East and Southeast Asia. Very similar." Daniel pushed up his glasses.
"How so?"
"Well, the women are what they called celestial maidens. We know them as angels. They came down to earth on a regular basis, the time frames and the number of maidens varying from culture to culture. Now, in Southeast Asia, they were said to have this long piece of cloth that they tied around their waist, their wings, so to speak. They could only fly down to earth and back to nirvana if they used this. One of them," Daniel pointed at the woman with the children, "lost hers and could not fly back home. She was devastated until a mortal man took her as his wife. She overcame her grief and got on with her life."
"Mmm, you gotta love that happily ever after ending."
"Actually Jack, it didn't end there."
"It didn't?"
"No, a few years passed and one day she found out that her husband was the one who actually stole her cloth and hid it in their barn. She put it on and soared back to the sky, leaving her husband and children behind."
"It was indeed a poignant tale," Teal'c stoically agreed.
Jack randomly picked up one of the pictures on Daniel's desk. "Is that where we put 'the end'?"
"Well, as I said, there are several versions of this story. One of them actually continued the myth when the husband went to nirvana himself and convinced her to go back to Earth with him."
"I thought you said that this didn't end happily."
Daniel rolled his eyes and used that patient tone especially reserved for the man in front of him. "As I said before, Jack, there are several versions."
"Oh ... Okay. One more question."
"Yes?"
"Do these women's eyes glow?"
"Not as far as the story goes, but then again, this could be just a genuine tale."
"That traveled across the galaxy?" Jack asked skeptically.
Daniel shrugged his shoulders. "It could be a coincidence."
Jack cocked his head in the direction of his other team member. "Teal'c? Have you heard anything about this?"
The Jaffa took his time to think. "I have not."
Jack turned his attention back to the linguist. "What about the other pictures?"
Daniel passed the rest of them to Jack. "Oh, they were just drawings of normal village life. Markets, celebrations, daily life and those sort of things."
"Why were the pictures out of order?"
Daniel lowered his head and busied himself with some other papers. "I don't know."
There was something cultural that Daniel didn't know? This was new. Jack smirked and decided to rub the salt into the wound. "You don't know?"
"Yes, I don't know." The warning in Daniel's voice was enough to discourage Jack from asking further questions.
"Oh. Okay then."
***
Sam's head was pounding as she opened her eyes, only to be greeted by darkness. Groaning, she tried to lift her upper body, trying to get off the cold, hard floor. One hand rubbed her eyes gently, but the darkness was still there.
"Major, is that you?"
"Green?"
Her hand traveled to her temple and massaged it gently in an attempt to drive her headache away.
"Yes, Ma'am. It's me."
Her memory about the mission flooded through her confused mind.
"Is Halle here? What about Reed?"
"I don't know, Ma'am. It's pitch black in here."
What had happened to them?
The last thing she remembered was being inside the cargo bay, hiding with her team behind a stack of crates and waiting for a chance to escape from the ship.
Suddenly she heard a growl.
"That's Halle."
She carefully crawled towards the sound, her hands patting the area in front of her since her vision was impaired. A few feet away, the palm of her hand touched something soft.
"Halle, are you okay?" she asked, trying to help her sit up.
Halle drew a sharp intake of breath. "I'm okay, I'm okay. Just a bit lightheaded, that's all."
She nodded and let her go. "Is Reed here?"
"I'm not sure, Ma'am," answered Green.
Sam's hope soared as she considered the possibility of Reed not being here, wherever here was. She didn't know how much time had passed, but the moment Reed realized that they had lost radio contact, he would return to the SGC for reinforcements.
She had a guess of what had happened to them, but it wasn't a pretty one.
"What's going on? Why is it so dark here?" Halle asked in her disoriented state, still groggy.
"We were captured," she grimly informed the rest of her team. She had checked her body for weapons and found none.
"What?" exclaimed Green.
"It's dark because a Goa'uld stun grenade affected our sight temporarily. It'll pass," she assured them.
She had been on the receiving end of that particular grenade on several occasions, and there was no doubt in her mind that the aftershock sensation that ran through her body was caused by it.
"Oh great," muttered one unhappy Captain.
"Well, didn't you say something about SG-1 luck earlier, Sir? This is it." Halle sighed dramatically.
"I just hope that luck didn't bail on us now. We could really use the 'great escape' type of luck just about now."
Sam listened to their conversation silently. Her mind was racing as she considered their capturer.
A Goa'uld on an unpopulated planet? What could she possibly want? And what about the sarcophagus? No one just left precious technology like that lying around collecting dust on a barren planet. And what about the man? Who was he? And then, there was 'it'. What was 'it'? A thousands questions ran through her mind.
A faint light disturbed her from her train of thought. She brought her hand right in front of her face and saw a creamy form starting to take shape.
"My vision is back."
She blinked a number of times to clear her sight.
"Mine too," added Green.
"I think I saw some light," Halle confirmed.
Once her vision was back to normal, Sam took a look around. It was a holding cell, but to her knowledge, this one looked like a one from a mothership, not a cargo ship.
"Major." The warning in Green's voice didn't go unnoticed.
She turned around to see that there was someone else inside the cell.
The man from the sarcophagus.
He was watching them from the corner of the room, wearing a sleeveless robe and sitting on the floor with his knees drawn to his chest. His eyes were dark brown, full of mystery and suffering.
Tentatively, she greeted their in-mate. "Hi. Do you know where we are?"
The man looked up, but didn't answer the question.
Sam tried again while still maintaining her distance. She still wasn't sure about the nature of this man. "I'm Major Carter. And this man is Captain Green, and she is Lieutenant Halle. We're from Earth. Most people call us the Tau'ri."
He titled his head to one side. "You are the Tau'ri?" His voice was deep and calm. He started to get up from the floor and stared at them for a while. "My name is Shiva."
Before they could say anything further, the door opened. Sam, Green and Halle were already standing close to each other, their instincts telling them to stay close together.
The Goa'uld walked gracefully inside the room. Her hair was silky black, long and smooth. Her skin was light brown, almost as the same color as the man, and she wore a white sari as well as a gold necklace and bracelet. There was a bindi on her forehead.
Four Jaffa followed closely behind her, each holding a staff weapon. They were wearing the same kind of robes as the man, made of animal's skin.
"Kneel before your goddess!" one of the Jaffa ordered.
"You are no goddess," the man said calmly.
Sam looked at the man in surprise. He knew about the true nature of the Goa'uld.
The Goa'uld didn't seem to be offended as she ignored the man and approached her new prisoners. She approached Halle first. "You are a woman."
Before Halle could say anything, she continued her inspection to Sam. She took her time to study her before she said, "You were a host."
Sam stared back at the Goa'uld and boldly answered, "I was."
"You are their leader."
"Yes."
"Fascinating. A woman, a leader, and a warrior."
Sam's eyes scanned the room, looking for any escape route, but she couldn't find any.
The Goa'uld then advanced toward Green and smiled seductively. "Finally. A man."
She was about to touch the Captain when Sam stepped between the two of them, pushing Green behind her slightly. "Who are you?"
She couldn't let her get close to Green. There was something in the way that she looked at him that was familiar, like a lioness eyeing for her prey.
The Goa'uld smirked. "I am Durga."
Halle gasped in shock. "Durga?"
"Lieutenant?" Sam turned her attention toward Halle.
"Durga is an Indian goddess ... the wife of Shiva."
"His wife?" Green pointed at the man that stood in the corner of the cell.
Durga averted her eyes from the three officers to the man as Halle continued her narrative. "Shiva was once married to Sita, Daksha's daughter. She consumed herself in a fire because she was ashamed to be born as Daksha's daughter after he insulted Shiva in front of many people. She swore that she would be reincarnated again to a father who she could respect. Then she was born again as Parvati, better known as Durga, and once again became Shiva's wife."
"He is no Shiva. The sarcophagus has finally scrambled his brain. Do you really believe that foolish tale? A story based on anything but the truth?"
Durga lifted her chin and look down at them in a degrading manner.
"You, the Tau'ri, are a puny race." She chuckled slightly. "Look at him and look at me. I think that should say it all. I am the mother of all and he was just a man under my feet. Nothing more."
"Mother of all?" Sam didn't like the way she said it.
"She's a queen Goa'uld," Green exclaimed.
Sam bit her lower lip as Durga once again laughed. Her suspicion was confirmed.
"You are going to be an excellent addition to my Jaffa." Durga pushed Sam aside and approached Green. "It has been a while since I had a new one."
Green stepped back as she kept advancing towards him.
"Green," Sam said. He looked passed Durga's shoulder to meet her eyes. "It's okay."
There was confusion in his eyes before he finally nodded to acknowledge her silent message.
Durga placed one of her hands on the back of his head and pulled him closer. "Don't be afraid, my child. I am your goddess, I will take care of you."
And then she breathed on him.
Sam watched them with clenched fists. The queen Goa'uld was using the pheromone-like substance to control him like Hathor had done when she had the men in the SGC under her power.
"Tell me, how did you arrive on this planet?" Her soft voice caressed Green.
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Green answered, "We used the Stargate."
"Stargate? Ah, you mean the Chaapa'ai?" She was intrigued.
"Yes."
She stepped back from the Captain. "Tell me how you do that. Your Chaapa'ai should not be able to make a connection with this planet."
"We by-passed some protocol to establish a wormhole here," Sam answered on behalf of Green.
Durga turned around and faced her. "You can do that?"
"Yes."
Another Jaffa entered the room and bowed. "My Lord, we are almost ready to depart to Agni."
Durga held her gaze with Sam. "Very well. We'll have plenty of time for you later on."
She spun around and started to walk away, taking Green's hand and tugging him to follow her. "Come with me, we will prepare you for the honor of being Durga's Jaffa."
The Goa'uld, Green and the Jaffa exited the holding cell. As soon as the door was closed, Halle asked her commanding officer, "What should we do now?"
Sam crossed her arms, thinking.
They were inside a mothership and from what she had heard, they were heading to a place named Agni. She checked her watch. It told her that they had missed their radio contact with Reed by over an hour. As soon as he contacted the SGC, they would send a search party through.
But would they be on time? They were just about to leave this planet in a moment.
"Now, we wait." She put on a brave face. She couldn't afford to display her fear now, not when her team needed her.
Green should be all right for now. The Goa'uld needed him alive if she wanted to make him her Jaffa. She and Halle on the other hand ... It was no secret that the queen Goa'uld could not control women the way she controlled men. But if she had something worth the Goa'uld's interest, maybe she could keep all of them alive.
So, what did Durga want the most?
'It'.
She looked at the man. "What did she want from you?"
He looked startled at her question, but replied it anyway, "Something that I will never give to her."
She narrowed her eyes. "Is your name really Shiva?"
"It is none of your concern," he spatted.
Sam realized that the man refused to talk about the matter, so she changed her tactic.
"What do you know about Agni?"
He answered tranquilly, "It is a planet not far from Mata. It is Durga's planet, where she breeds her Jaffa."
"Mata? Is that the name of this planet?"
"Yes."
She braced herself as she asked, "Do you know what would happen to us when we arrive there?"
He looked at her. "She will probably take you as her slaves. She cannot have enough of them."
Sam thought it over. Slaves didn't sound so bad, it could have been worse. But she could not allow Durga to turn Green into a Jaffa. No way in hell.
"Why didn't she use her breath on you?" Halle asked suspiciously.
"It would not work on me."
"Why?"
His dark eyes pierced into both women, however, he didn't answer the question. To Sam's knowledge, only a man who had previously been affected by the pheromone would develop immunity to it.
She turned around and guided Halle to the opposite corner, leaving him alone.
"Ma'am?" Halle questioned her decision to finish their interrogation. The man was hiding something, and they needed to know what.
She shook her head, knowing that she wouldn't get anything more out from him. "Leave him be. We need to be prepared."
"Prepared for what?" Halle was puzzled.
"I'm not planning to sit down and let Durga have her way. Are you?"
The Lieutenant rested her back against the wall. "No. But what can we do?"
Sam smiled encouragingly. "We wait for an opportunity."
Halle raised her eyebrow. "You think we'll have one?"
"If not, we make one."
Halle stared at her in amazement. "How can you be so calm about this?"
"Because I'm not ready to give up just yet."
The other woman smiled weakly at her and sat down on the floor. Sam could only hope that Halle still had her fighting spirit within her.
She turned her gaze toward the door.
Now she knew why Colonel O'Neill always thought positively, no matter how bad their situations were. She had to keep their morals up and make sure that her team fought until the end. She was their anchor, and if she broke down now, she would drag her team down with her. Pushing aside her doubts and qualms, she gritted her teeth and waited patiently. She knew that a chance would come. She just had to make the best of it because it might be their only chance.
Their only chance to stay alive and go back home.
She let her mind wander to home. What was her team doing right now? It was 2024 hours on Earth. The Colonel was probably dragging Daniel out of his office to have some dinner with him, and Teal'c would be in the mess hall already, securing a table for them.
She missed them.
She missed having them alongside her.
She shoved her hand in her pockets. There was something inside one of them, and she took it out slowly. She didn't remember putting anything inside it. Someone must have put it there deliberately.
It was a small keepsake bag. She could feel that there was something inside it. She untied the knot and opened the green bag, pouring the contents into her palm. There were three items in total: a piece of paper, a string and a tiny action figure. She recognised them straight away.
The paper was Daniel's. It was torn from his journal, a rough sketch of several Stargate's chevrons.
The string was the Colonel's. It was his yoyo's string, a leather ring attached to it.
The action figure was Teal'c's. It was Master Yoda, his favourite character from Star Wars.
The corner of her lip moved upward involuntarily.
She stared at the items one by one, holding them close in her hand. It had to be Daniel's idea. Only he could think of something like this. She brought her hand closer to her mouth and kissed it softly. She found a new strength.
They were here with her.
***
He should have known.
Reed had just arrived half an hour ago, bringing news that he dreaded.
"Jack." Daniel's voice broke the eerie silence inside the SG-1 gear room.
"She'll be okay, Daniel." Jack kept his voice steady. He was facing his locker, methodically putting on his BDUs. "She has to be."
Until they came after her, she had to be okay.
***
To be continue
The next part is done and is in the possession of my beta-reader, hopefully it could be up in two or three days, so please be patient g.
