Title: Unity

Chapter 8

Author:  Saramund

E-mail: Saramund@hotmail.com

Season:  Season 4

Rating:  G

Authors Note:  My current Beta is on holiday {g} – so as of consequence, this chapter is entirely un-beta'd.  If anyone out there would like to volunteer –let me know.  Oh, and don't hold your breath for Chapter 9.  The muse is back (yay!) – but Real Life is inhibiting.  Damn it! 

Serien and I stood near the circular markings on the floor, waiting for the communications device to kick in from the panel.  Serien, at my right, glanced at me now and then, but remained silent.  Just as I was about to demand to know what was so fascinating, the light beamed on, and the circle illuminated.  I cleared my throat and stepped into the light.  Immediately, I saw the chamber on Cimmeria.  There were two SG people standing guard, arms at rest across their P-90's.   I cleared my throat to get their attention.  Much to my amusement, they jumped and turned, eyes wide and hands now holding their weapons firmly.

                "Hey, guys.  I need you to do me a bit of a favour."  I recognized one of them now that they'd moved closer and their faces came out of the shadows.  "Hey, Simpson." And no, his first name wasn't Bart or Homer.

                "General."  He replied, nodding his head in salute.  "What do you need?"

                "Thor's come down with something.  He looks pretty bad.  We need you to get in touch with Freyr through this contraption here and let him know that Thor needs his help."

                "Sure, sir.  Ahh, why can't you do that from where you are?"  Simpson asked, handing over his weapon to his team mate.

                "Because Carter isn't sure she'd be able to find this … address again if we did."  I turned with him, as he walked around the circle of light I was in, heading for the control panel.  "Do you know what it is your going to do?"

                "Yeah.  Colonel Carter gave our group a pretty good run down on how to operate Asgard technology.  I just move these stones here."  Simpson looked back at me.  "But I can't do that while you're talking to us, General."  He sounded apologetic. 

                "No problems, Simpson.  I'll pop back in ten minutes, see how you went."  I looked around, then stepped out of the light and found I was centimeters from Serien, who was looking on raptly.

                "What?"

                "You can manipulate those controls?"  Serien asked in an awed voice.

                "Well… Carter can.  And she taught a few others.  Why?"

                "We've been amongst the Asgard now for longer than my father has been alive and we've yet to grasp how to use those."  He managed to sound annoyed and awed at the same time.  "And you guys figure it out in how long?  No more than a child's age."

                "Well, we do have Carter.  That's almost like an unfair advantage."  I grinned at him winningly.  He grunted in reply.  We stood in pretty much silence for the next few minutes, waiting for the allotted time to pass.  Eventually it did, and I beamed back.

                "Well?"  I asked, stepping into the circle of light.  Simpson turned back to me, a frown on his face.

                "We couldn't get through to him, Sir.  Got a message from some underling that he'd been unexpectedly delayed.  The little guy looked nervous.  If he was human, he would have been sweating, I'm sure of it."

                "A lying Asgard?"  I asked, frowning at the man in front of me.  He nodded back. 

                "As scary as it may seem, I think so.  Ahh, Jason ran to get General Hammond while I was trying to contact Freyr.  He'll be back any minute now."  Simpson left off the implication that I should wait for my boss.  A Major shouldn't give a Brigadier General an order.  It's bad form, you know.  I nodded my head to show that I understood what he was asking of me, then folded my arms to wait.  I heard Serien shifting behind me, but dismissed him from my mind.  If he'd wanted to hurt me, he would have a long time ago.  Time to start trusting these people.  A little bit, anyway.

                A few minutes later, Hammond came marching around the corner of the chamber, striding through the open door.  "General!"  He barked, seeing me.  I waved back at him. 

                "Hey, George.  How's things going back on good old Earth?"  I asked when he got nearer.

                "Not good.  But they've been worse."  Hammond replied, wiping his slightly damp forehead.  "What's happening with you?  Any idea when you're going to be able to return?"

                "Sorry sir.  Things are getting a little tense here at the moment. Thor's out with something pretty nasty, and we can't get in contact with his allies.  Looks like a regular politically motivated intrigue.  But we'll deal with it.  Nothing is too hard for us!"  Hammond scowled at me in disdain, but I just continued to grin inanely.  Ahh, feigned ignorance is bliss.  "Can you give us an update on the whole Unifying the human race thing?  We can't get newspaper's delivered out here."

                "Jack."  George sighed heavily.  I just waited.  "The furor after our little announcement was intense.  It took two months to deal with the backlash of disbelief and naysayers before we even got around to considering putting aside all the civil conflicts and wars.  We've finally got India and Pakistan sitting at the same table, and that took monumental effort from all of us, including Rhun.  The middle east settled down fairly quickly, which was a big surprise to all of us.  Right now, we've got a Committee-"  Hammond almost spat the word at me,  "-who's currently arguing the best way to go about unifying the governments and who should take on what role.  It's a nightmare.  But Rhun is doing the best he can.  We've brought in representatives from a few of our allies, Cimmeria obviously, plus Jonta from Marli, and a few others from a couple of the planets we get naquadah from.  But aside from that, what's going on with you?  Anything to report."

                "Much of the same, actually, General."  I replied.  "Our allies here seem to be missing or ill all of a sudden, or unreachable.  Political intrigue and a bit of espionage, I have a feeling.  But I get the feeling that regular reports will be a little difficult to make in the next few days."

                "Fine.  I think by now, I trust SG-1 to do their job.  I will need some kind of confirmation that you're all okay in a few days, though, Jack."

                "If you haven't heard from us in seventy-two hours, then you probably won't hear from us again, General."  I replied honestly.  "Talk to you in three days."  I stepped back from the circle and the light dimmed.  I turned to Serien, who stared back silently, then walked back to the rest of the group.

Carter was still hovering near Thor, who was no shivering, despite the warmth of the room.

                "What did Freyr say, sir?"  Carter asked, looking up.  I shook my head in reply.

                "Looks like we're on our own.  Freyr can't be contacted, all of a sudden."

                "Gee, that's a surprise."  Daniel replied.  Carter tossed him a look, then returned her gaze to me.

                "I spoke with the General as well.  There's a few hiccups, but everything's working itself out.  We just need to find out what's going on with all our Asgard friends." 

                "I believe that I have a few answers, O'Neill."  Teal'c announced from the doorway.

                "How did you get back?"  Daniel demanded, looking stunned at Teal'c's appearance.

                "Alin Arwew Na'ita initiated an Asgard location device that brought us to this area.  We simply walked from there."

                "Sweet.  You have answers?"  I asked, getting us all back on track.

                "Indeed.  We, as ordered, went to investigate further, the events that led to our fleeing earlier today.  We discovered that indeed, it was a Suni'we.  However, as Alin Arwew Na'ita showed me the signature that identified the Taur'i.  I deduced that it was in fact a fake signature."

                "Obviously, since we didn't plant the bomb."  Daniel replied with sarcasm.  He got that off me.

                "Indeed.  Once I pointed out the inconsistencies in the signature, Alin Arwew Na'ita grew even more suspicious.  We availed ourselves of some security footage."

                "You availed yourself?"  Borlois repeated.  "What the hells does that mean?"

                "It means that he broke into a security facility and stole the security footage of that time and place."  Carter translated for the aliens.

                "Why didn't he just say that?"  Borlois complained.

                "He did."  I pointed out.  "Just in his own unique way."

                "I AVAILED myself of some security footage."  Teal'c repeated pointedly.  "We observed the placement of the explosive device was made by an Asgard, approximately three hours prior to our arrival on this planet."

                "Really?"  I said, suddenly paying this whole saga a lot more attention.  "Isn't that interesting."

                "Indeed."  Teal'c replied.

                "Why?"  Niall asked, looking from Teal'c to me and back again.

                "Because we flew in on Thor's ship.  Supposedly all aboard are loyal to Thor.  And no one but Odin, Thor and his ship's crew knew we were on our way here.  So someone on board must be a mole." Carter explained.

                "A… mole?"  Serien repeated, confused. 

                "A spy.  A traitor."  Carter explained

                "A Shol'va."

                "A bad, bad person."  I finished the explanation.

                "Oh."  Serien said, looking faintly perplexed.  "So, what, we've got some … bad, bad person who's out to implicate you in the murder of several Asgard?"

                "I think it's bigger than that."  I replied.  I sat down on one of the cushion/chair things, hands clasped between my knees.  "So far, since we arrived less than a day ago, we've had several Asgard Council members get in our face about our gallivanting across our galaxy.  We've had some strange Asgard give us weapons and lots of other nifty things to help us while we're here.  We've had some bomb go off in the middle of a crowded square, with the blame being placed firmly on us.  Then Thor turns up sicker than I've seen him in a long time, and Freyr goes missing just when we need him.  That all says conspiracy to me."

                "But that still doesn't help Thor right now."  Carter pointed out, placing her hand on Thor's forehead.  "And he's getting worse, Sir."

                "Right.  Idea's?"  I looked around at blank faces. 

                "What about the stasis chambers that the Asgard have?"  Daniel suggested.  "You know, like the one you used when the Replicator's tried to invade earth?"

                "And do you see one around here?"  I asked, swinging my head around.  It was a good idea, and it had helped Thor the last time he'd looked this bad.  But as to where we went to get one of those doo-hickeys, I had no idea.

                "I believe I saw a medical chamber on our previous reconnaissance, O'Neill."  Teal'c said, the strode out of the room.  I cast my eyebrows up in surprise, then gathered the thin frame of Thor in my arms and followed, at a much slower pace.

                "Teal'c?"  I yelled, catching his attention.  "Less speed, more haste, buddy."  I advised him.  He waited until I caught up, then set off again, at a slower pace.  I glanced back and saw the rest of the party was following us.  Pied Piper, indeed.  Teal'c led us to a chamber that I hadn't seen before and we stood there, all of us gathered inside a large room that was pretty much bare.

                "How do you know this is a medical chamber, Teal'c?"  Daniel asked, pushing his glasses up his nose and looked around.  Probably for some sort of writing or markings.

                "Because it says so on the outer doorway, DanielJackson."  Teal'c told him.  I swear, the man was laughing in his own non-displayish way.

                "Oh."  Daniel looked sheepish.

                "Okay, then people.  Find this stasis chamber thingy so we can fix Thor up."  Carter, Teal'c and Daniel jumped to, and after a nod from Serien, the rest of the group started looking as well.

                "Got it." Niall said, pressing down on something on the far wall.  Out popped a familiar looking chamber, the upper edge of it connected to the wall by long thing wires of some description.  I moved forward and placed the little alien on the padded bed, then stepped back.

                "Anyone know how to program one of these?"

                "I do, sir.  Thor taught me how before, last time he was in one of these."  She hesitated, looking at the thin wires.  "Do we want to keep him connected?  I know how to set up a stand-alone chamber."  I nodded at her suggestion, and Carter unplugged the chamber from the wall, then pressed a few symbols and suddenly the chamber was sealed, lights flashing gently.

                "So, now what?"  Serien asked, after a few minutes of light watching.  I looked around, assessing my own body and the attitude of my team.

                "Rest.  We need to get some shut-eye and food.  Back to the main chamber for some dinner.  Teal'c, bring Thor."  I ordered, walking back out of the chamber.

Food consisted of pretty much the same substances as the last time we'd eaten here. Roast beast, fruit and drinks.  After a few minutes of explaining the food to the others, we started eating and hashing out theories.  Sifu was the traitor?  Nope, but keep it in mind.  Thor was a double agent who wanted to take over the universe with a really big ray gun.  No, Teal'c, and no more James Bond movies for you.  Odin was actually a goa'uld dressed up.  Ah, Niall?  No more beer, okay?  Loki was plotting Thor's downfall.

                "Now that's a more likely synopsis."  I agreed.  "Loki, or someone equally likely to benefit from Thor's downfall is trying to frame the poor guy."

                "By framing us?"  Daniel frowned at me.

                "Discredit his allies, discredit him."  I pointed out.

                "Good point."  Serien noted.  He sipped at his juice, frowning at the slight tang of the fresh oranges.  That reaction wasn't quite as good as his reaction to being given a plate full of brussell sprouts.  Seems the taste is hated universally, not just on planet Earth.  Teal'c has a wicked sense of humour some days.

                "So aside from Loki, who would benefit from Thor's being discredited?"  I turned to our local expert.

                "Ahh, pretty much everyone other than Odin, Jack.  Thor is second on the council.  Anyone below that would benefit.  Frig, Odin's wife, would benefit perhaps if she were aligned with someone else."

                "Isn't Frig Thor's mother?"  I asked.

                "Not necessarily.  And not according to Viking legend.  They generally didn't concentrate on just who was the mother of the stronger Asgard.  To be honest, I have no idea who Thor's mother was.  But aside from Frig, you'd have Freyr, Freya, Loki.  Pretty much the entire Asgard community."

                "Sifu?"  Arwew asked.

                "Sure.  Just because they're married doesn't guarantee loyalty."

                "So we can't go to anyone for help."  I surmised, glaring at the floor between my feet.  "Great.  All alone, as per usual."

                "Yes, but at least we're all alone on another planet.  Far away from home.  With no way of getting back.  And our driver is unconscious in a status chamber – someone stop me, please."   Daniel pleaded.  I grinned, a small chuckle trickling through my mouth.

                "Okay, we need to be fresh to think about this.  We'll tackle this again after that.  Teal'c, you take first shift.  Carter, you second.  I'll take third shift, and Daniel you can take last.  Two hours each, no more."  I stood up and looked around the room, trying to find some sort of light switch.  "How the hell do you turn the lights off in here?"  Serien, who'd been ordering his team in a similar fashion as I had, turned around and grinned, rattling of some sort of Asgard phrase.  Suddenly, the lights went out and we were in relative darkness.  Well, less light, anyway.

                "Night John Boy."  I called as I settled down on my chosen couch, cushions piled under my head.  I heard a giggle and knew it was Carter.

                "Night, Mary Ellen."  She replied through her giggles.

                "No giggling."  I whispered, and laughed when she snorted.  The laughed became muffled, and I pictured her smothering her face in a cushion to repress the giggles.

                "Jack."  Daniel grumbled.

                "Right.  Sorry, dad."  I grumbled back, still grinning.  I think I must have fallen asleep grinning.  I have no idea why.  Perhaps it was because I could still hear Carter snorting quietly to herself from the other couch.