DISCLAIMER: The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-1, the goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of the people who made them up. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.

A Snake In The Hand Is Worth Two In The Bush

Part twenty-eight

Daniel's forehead creased in concern as he realised what Jack was saying. 'But…'

'I know. Carter tells us that you listened to Clare in the car ride down here and we need you to try to remember where they could have been taken,' Jack continued.

They regrouped in the briefing room, Daniel concentrating hard, trying to remember all that Clare had told them on the journey back from Minnesota.

As soon as they were sitting down, Daniel started talking.

'She mentioned that Qu'ilar hadn't been working on his own, that he was working with someone else. Also that he'd worked with Nirrti, Hathor and Cronos and that Apophis hadn't trusted him and put a price on his head.'

'Smart guy,' Jack said under his breath, receiving a glare from Daniel.

'He wanted to get SG1 to defeat as many of the system lords as possible to clear the way for him and his friend to take over.' Daniel frowned in concentration as he finished speaking, the others looking at him, waiting for him to resume.

'She said he was working with someone called…called Sar'akan. It seemed he was the brains in the background of it all.' Daniel paused and Jacob broke in.

'Sar'akan disappeared from the Tok'ra some time ago, we thought he'd been killed while working undercover with Nirrti. He was a scientific genius and we had high hopes that he would develop something which we could use against the goa'uld.'

'Any idea where they would go to? It's pretty obvious they didn't stay on the Tok'ra homeworld. They must have gated somewhere else as soon as they got there,' Jack commented.

'Not necessarily, sir,' Sam put in, 'If they stepped straight back through the gate to another location Teal'c and Dr Fraiser would have figured out something was wrong. They're more liked to have left in a ship.'

'Our sensors didn't track a ship leaving orbit at that time,' Jacob informed them. 'But it is possible that the ship could have been cloaked well enough so it didn't show up. We've got a ship available but without knowing where they've gone, or in what direction…' His voice trailed off, not needing to finish the sentence.

'Daniel, was there anything else at all?' Jack pushed for more information.

'Yes, she mentioned a place, and for some reason it made me think of Star Wars. I'm going to have to check my notebook - I wrote everything down.

Jack, recalling the number of times Teal'c had made him sit through the movie threw out a few names that sprang to mind before Daniel left the room. 'Alderaan? Tattoine? Coruscant?'

'Coresten - that's it!. She said they worked from a place called Coresten.'

'I remember that bit.' Sam interrupted. 'It had a worked out naquadah mine and Sar'akan was working on how to use that device Clare found to get the information out of Qu'ilar's mind safely.'

'Hold on - what device?' Jacob spoke sharply.

'It a bit like a healing device but there were wires attached to it.' Sam described it as best she could.

'We're going to have to move fast if we want to save your friend,' Jacob warned them, his suspicions confirmed.

'Why, what aren't you telling us?' Jack sounded extremely suspicious.

'That device that you handed over was the prototype for the one our doctor is bringing. The prototype disappeared but we had the plans for it and it had never worked as it should. It needed a number of modifications to make sure…well to make sure it wouldn't fry the subject's brain.' Jacob looked apologetically at the others around the table.

'Ah.' Jack said. 'So we head back to your planet, pick up the ship and…?'

'First we have to figure out where Coresten is - it sounds familiar but we need to check it out before we go anywhere. George, I'd like SG1 to come with me, I believe we're going to need their help on this one. I'll also be taking along our doctor as Clare will need treatment the moment we find her.'

'Fine, Jacob. Just make sure you bring our people home safely.' Hammond gave permission.

Fifteen minutes later SG1 and Jacob were waiting for the gate to finish dialling. Hammond stood watching from the control room keeping his thoughts to himself. He silently wished the team well as they turned to him before stepping through the gate.

They were met as they stepped through the Stargate and escorted to the ship they would be using to try to retrieve their missing people. Jacob, talking quietly to one of the Tok'ra, beckoned Jack over and advised him what they had been able to find out.

'I know how you hate surprises,' Jacob smiled at him 'so I'll try to give you as much information as I can. We've located Coresten and have tried to dial it up but were unable to establish a connection so we can only assume that Sar'akan deactivated it to protect themselves. We've also confirmed what I had suspected - that Sar'akan and Karenin are the same person. He was a brilliant scientist but he has always been less than scrupulous about his test subjects - results were the most important thing to him.'

'So - if you're actually telling me that this guy was dodgy, he must be really bad. I mean, we've been screwed by you guys enough times when you've been supposedly helping us, so how does he rate - somewhere between Hitler and the Ku Klux Klan?'

'You're pretty close with those two,' Jacob laughed dryly, not taking offence at Jack's dig at his people. After all, he knew exactly what Jack meant and found himself at odds on occasions with the Tok'ra.

'Anyway, all I know is, with this prototype that he's now got in his possession, Clare's chances of survival are very slim if we don't get there pretty soon.'

'So - what are we waiting for?' Jack, turned towards the controls of the ship, as if expecting them to leave at that instant.

'We have to wait for our doctor and her equipment, she should be here any moment…'

There was the hum of the ring transporter activating, Jack taking a step hurriedly backwards as he was a little too close for comfort. He had an uneasy feeling that the person inside that transporter was going to be unnervingly familiar.

'Greetings Colonel O'Neill. Major Carter. Dr Jackson.' Anise glanced at each of them as she spoke their names. Jack grimaced, he had been right.

'Jacob, we need to have a little talk sometime about the meaning of 'surprise' and 'giving me as much information as you can'. I mean, you're generally a nice guy, for a Tok'ra, but I get the feeling you've been around them too long and you forget about us mere mortals.'

'Sorry, Jack. I didn't have time to tell you before she arrived.'

Anise and Jacob conferred for a few moments, then Jacob moved to take his place at the ship's controls and they left orbit, heading towards Coresten.

'Once the procedure of downloading the memories from the subject's brain has begun there is a very great risk if it is stopped prematurely. We have to ensure we reach them as soon as possible. With our equipment it would take several hours to complete the process. With the equipment Sar'akan is using it will take at least twice as long, but with each hour it is in use then the risk of permanent brain damage is increased.' Anise had been inspecting her equipment, Sam hovering near by trying to learn what she could. Anise had smoothly side-stepped Sam's questions, instead diverting her attention to the reason for having the equipment along.

'We need to transfer the process to this equipment immediately upon arrival. The information could be lost otherwise and it is too important for us to allow that to happen.'

'Is that all you're interested in?' Sam spoke angrily. 'The life of someone is at stake here, someone who has provided us with a lot of help in the short time we have known her and is a friend. That counts for something in our books. Our priority is to make sure we get Clare out of there in one piece and if at all possible to secure the information she has. Aren't human lives at all important to you?'

Sam stalked off, leaving Anise to finish checking off her inventory. Anise glanced at Sam's back, shrugged and ignored the outburst.

Meanwhile, Sam stood behind Jack and Jacob, glowering at the view in front of her.

'Making friends, Carter?' Jack asked.

'No sir, I'm afraid not. Do you realise that all Clare is to her is a machine that contains information. As long as she gets the information she wants getting Clare out in one piece is only a secondary consideration. I'm sorry, dad, but sometimes the Tok'ra are so…so…' Sam stumbled, trying to find the right words.

'Pig-headed?' Jack suggested. 'Ignorant? Self-centred?'

'…focussed on their objectives that they seem to forget the reason behind this war is people. People just don't seem to matter.'

'I know Sam, but we need these people to be focussed in order to achieve our goals. Sometimes we have to sacrifice a few people for the greater good.'

'Dad, you sound just like my lecturer at the Air Force Academy. I didn't much like him.'

'Excuse me, I hate to interrupt,' Daniel broke in. 'But do those orange and red flashy light things mean anything important?'

'Flashy light things?' Jack raised an eyebrow at the unusually ineloquent linguist.

'I thought it might ease the tension,' Daniel shrugged his shoulders.

'Oh.'

'We've got Sar'akan's ship on our sensors now.' Jacob informed them.

An hour later they were within range to make use of the ring transporters.

'I thought you said it would take us three hours to catch up with them?' Jack asked Jacob.

'It should have done, but for some reason the ship did an about turn and is heading back in our direction,' Jacob confirmed.

'Have we been detected?' Jack asked.

'I can't say for sure, but I don't think so.'

They drew alongside the other vessel, sending a message to them.

'This is Selmak of the Tok'ra, surrender your vessel immediately.'

There was silence for a moment, then a voice could be heard in response.