Rating:PG-13

Chapter 6-Vengeance

January 2004, planet P4X 835

Jack, Sam, Daniel and Teal'c left the wormhole and observed their surroundings, looking for any possible threat."This is bad. Very very bad." Jack declared with unhappy expression as soon as he saw the planets flat rocky surface, parched by the near sun that caused the average temperature was above forty Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). The landscape looked almost as a desert.

"I can not recognize any immediate danger O'Neill." Teal'c announced with his typical stoic voice, watching the path that led away from the stargate.

"Trees Teal'c!"

"There are no trees here Sir." Sam countered.

"Exactly ! No trees means trouble. I'm quite sure in 99 percent of our missions no trees meant trouble and there is not a single shrub on this plane." Jack announced. "We'll get fried or eviscerated within a minute. You'll see."

"Jack as fascinating the lack of trees is I think we should go to the temple." Daniel beg the commander of his team.

It had been more than a year but Daniel remembered everything about his previous exploration of the temple. Sam's analyze of various objects inside hinted that the building was at least ten thousand years old. During their last visit they didn't have enough time to finish the research because of Apophis and than the priorities changed. However now he had several days before they had to return and Daniel was eager to find out as much as possible. Of course Jack wasn't thrilled by the idea to spend time 'digging old rocks' how he called it, but Daniel managed to persuade him saying there might be some ancient weapons they could use against the Goa'uld. He knew Jack was just edgy because he couldn't bring the fishing rod so he would at least have something to do while he and Sam will be analyzing the artifacts. Of course actual eating the fish was out of question, but Jack loved fishing more than Daniel his old relics.

The four of them were slowly reaching the end of the stony plane around the stargate and coming to an area with much softer surface when Teal'c suddenly stopped and got his submachine gun ready, his eyes focusing on the path in front of them.

"What's up big guy ?" Jack inquired.

"There are many footprints of Jaffa. At least thirty, but probably more." Teal'c informed after he studied the path closer. "The footprints are not older then one hour."

"See Carter? No trees equals trouble." Jack proved his point. "Ok. Teal'c and Carter on the left. I and Daniel will take the right."

The group carefully continued along the path until they came to a small creek that encircled a village, which lay in front of the temple. The village consisted of approximately twenty square houses with thin wooden walls and roofs. Jack also saw a few cloth tents along the creek. The temple itself was much bigger. Two at least hundred meters long lines of ten meters high columns supported a triangular roof, reminding Daniel of the old Greek temple in Athens. Each column was decorated with different carvings, the entrance guarded by sculptures of two soldiers in chain armor wielding a buckler, their spears crossed above the marble stairway.

"The village is empty. The locals presumably escaped from the Jaffa." Teal'c informed his team after searching in several cottages.

"And where are the Jaffa ?" Daniel inquired, a little worried by the unusual situation.

"The footprints lead directly into the temple Daniel Jackson."

"Well. Than let's have a look what's so interesting inside." Jack ordered and the group carefully entered the large building.

--Three hours sooner--

Faith was studying the scene around the village, looking very frustrated. There was nothing but a few stones and that wouldn't give them enough cover during the assault. And the buildings? Their walls were made of wood and were very thin because of the lack of trees on this planet. They could hardly stop an arrow and a staff weapon would probably level a whole house with just one shot. How were they supposed to stop more then hundred Jaffa with four slayers? Faith sighed. She promised help to the leader of the village and now she was considering retreat.

"Will he send here more slayers ?" Faith asked Vi when the other slayer returned from the Chappa-Ai.

"He can't." Vi shook her head. "Buffy's group got stuck on one of the unexplored worlds. I bet she could use some help herself and there is currently no one older than sixteen available in the manor. As you know, the other Scoobies went to LA to visit Fred and ask her to help Willow with some research and also get some books about demonology for Giles. But we have this." Vi pointed at her bag.

Faith took the bag from Vi, curious about the content. She opened it and frowned, looking very confused. The bag was full of ... oranges.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Faith took out one orange. "We need slayers not vitamins!" Faith threw the fruit away, slightly confused Vi wasn't angry about Giles's strange way to help them. "G-man got crazy."

"No!" Vi shouted when she saw what Faith did. She jumped at Faith, pulling both of them down and covered her head with her arms. Luckily for the two slayers, the force Faith used to throw the orange caused it flew more then 50 meters before it fell to the ground. "That's not an orange it's an orb of Lunac and it's quite fragile. When it hit's something it sometimes..."

Suddenly the orb exploded, pieces of stone and sand flying towards them. When the dust settled Faith saw a three meters wide crater where the orb landed.

"...blows up." Vi finished. "It's from some different dimension and can be used pretty much as a bomb."

Vi took out another smaller orb that looked like it was split in a half and then put together again. "All you have to do is turn the higher half 90 degrees and all orbs explode." She gave the smaller orb to Faith. " The problem is we don't have enough of them to kill hundred Jaffa in open space. We need them to be close to each other."

"Didn't your leader say you always defended yourselves in the temple when the Jaffa attacked?" Faith turned her attention to a villager."And they know it right?"

"Yes." The man answered. "We always gathered in the temple because it's much easier to defend then the village. The last time they even didn't bother to check our houses and headed right away to the temple."

"Good." Faith nodded, already knowing what they had to do. She wondered what would Giles think if he knew he gave them an instrument to destroy a 'who knows how many years old' temple, since he qualified spilling coffee on a old book the eighth capital sin.

It didn't take long to place one orb to every temple's pillar. Then they retreated two hundred meters away from the building and hid behind several small rocks. They didn't have to wait long. Faith smirked when she saw the whole group of Jaffa enter the building. She prepared to turn the orb when she noticed four figures near the entrance of the temple.

"Who are these idiots?" Faith wondered, observing the group. They were dressed in khaki and obviously ready to enter the temple. She almost stood up to yell at them and warn them when she recognized they were carrying guns. They were Tauri.

"Should we warn them ? We would blow our cover." Vi asked.

Faith closed her eyes and stayed still for several seconds, her face showing various emotions that occupied her mind. Then her face turned a cold mask. "No. Let them inside."

Faith's POV

My fingers tremble and I feel like all blood is being drained from my body. Is this how it's like ? When you can end lives of so many people with a single movement of your hand? Sure I did it before, but it was always one victim. One body to think about, not a hundred. Is there really a difference ? No. Even if you killed just one you are still a murder. It's not HOW MANY it's WHY that matters. Can we stop these Jaffa if we don't destroy the building?

What about Lin and Tsu?

Don't bring them into this!

They killed them!

You don't know that.

Really? Did you see their weapons? Lin and Tsu were murdered by guns.

Anyone can use a gun.

Can anyone travel through Chappa-Ai?

No.

Then what are you waiting for ?

It could have been an accident.

Accidentally killed by forty bullets ?

You're right. But I won't do it.

Do you remember China ? When you promised Lin's mother you will take care of her daughter?

Shut up.

Do you remember the evenings you had spent with her? Hugging her when she told you about her father?

Shut up!

Do you remember what you felt when you first looked at her corpse?

I remember.

Faith's hand reached for the orb slowly turning it. Then she jerked her hand away. "I can't do it. Not without proves it was this group who killed them. I can't do it."

"I can." a Chinese slayer next to her turned the orb before Faith could stop her. A set of explosions echoed through the space around the temple. The massive temple's pillars weakened and couldn't withstand the pressure of the heavy roof anymore. The top of the building collapsed, killing everyone inside.

Planet P4X 835, one week later

A man watched with thoughtful expression his soldiers while they were removing the remnants of the destroyed building. They still didn't find anything. Not one prove that their team was buried under the tons of debris. Three days ago when they had come to this planet the locals told them that in the fight with Jaffa four of their men were killed. When he asked what happened the leader of the villagers refused to reveal more than the fact that some black warriors helped them defeat the Jaffa. He called them slayers, but refused to tell him anything else. The man sighed. General Hammond will kick his ass if they don't find at least one of them.

"Colonel! Colonel! We have one!" a soldier shouted at him.

The Colonel ran towards the remains of the temple, watching his men remove a motionless body away from the heap of stones. He slowed down and ordered the men to turn the body towards him. He saw the man's face. It was ... his own face.

"Carter. Care to explain what's going on here? Daniel?"

Teal'c raised his eyebrow. "This body has a remarkable resemblance to your own O'Neill."

"No kidding. What I would like to hear is what is my body doing in this temple." Jack growled.

"It's your copy Sir. The robot copy we left at PX 3989."

End Chapter

Author's note:This chapter is based on Stargate's episode 4-21-Double Jeopardy.

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