Friend or foe
Chapter 5
Allisenna stood in the embarkation room, the last time she had been here she had been shot so was unsurprising that she was a little anxious about being here again. Added to this was the sheer fear of what might await the other side of the stargate. She had told them confidently that there could be no one on this planet the humans had named PT 7921(what a strange name) other than her own people, but she could easily be wrong.
The probe had been sent through to find a desert stretching seemingly forever in each direction. It reminded Alli of home, or of what home had looked like before it was destroyed. The DHD looked undamaged and there was no visible sign of threat so the team ( Alli and Alec) had kitted up in desert gear, everyone but Alli using liberal amounts of Sun Protection.
Finally they passed through the stargate. As all had done this before they no longer felt quite so disorientated by the tremendous speed and terrible coldness of the wormhole. Soon they were stepping out onto the hot dry desert of a planet the other side of the galaxy. If you took time to think about it, it seemed totally unreal.
"SG1 to control, we're through safely, no sign of hostiles. Looks like we gotta go trekking." Jack told the small black radio attached to the strap of his rucksack.
"Roger SG1, resume contact in 24 hours."
"Sure, over and out." With a click the colonel shut off the signal, a moment later the wormhole collapsed leaving the stargate empty and cold looking in the bright desert sun. "Ok then kids, which way now?"
"We got no positive readings from the probe." Carter told him.
"So basically you have no idea?"
"Basically."
"Allisenna?" Alec asked, "Got any idea?"
The Kriaz-Nor shrugged, paused for a second as if listening to a voice in her head-which she probably was-then said; "No idea, but Kelek' thinks we should go round the other side of the Stargate. Oh and you can call me Alli if it's any easier."
"Any particular reason?" Jack asked.
"Um, because Allisenna takes too long?"
"I meant about going round the gate."
"Oh. Kelek' says that's the way he would have gone."
"It's worth a try." Carted commented.
"Right, well that way it is. Teal'c you take point, Carter rear, keep your eyes open for anything that looks remotely alive. And is it just me or is this a lot hotter than that thing said it would be?" Jack asked nodding his head towards the probe.
"The sun hasn't reached its peak yet sir, it could get a lot hotter."
"Damn." Jack put his sunglasses over his eyes and tried to ignore the heat as he stomped off after Teal'c. Daniel and Alec followed with Alli between them and Carter at the back.
Alec placed his own sunglasses over deep brown eyes and turned to check the Kriaz-Nor beside him was OK. She seemed unaffected by the heat. "Was your home world as hot as this?"
"Hotter. Plus there's all kinds of radiation and the desert was populated by some kind of lizard as big as a horse that could swallow a man whole. Not nice."
"Not nice." Alec agreed hoping there was nothing like that here. As Alli turned to look at him he realised that she wore no glasses, and yet her eyes appeared jet-black. "Um, what happened to your eyes?" he asked a little hesitantly.
Alli smiled, "You know how cats have these like third eye lids, to protect their eyes. Well the Kriaz have got them too, but they protect our eyes from radiation among other things."
"Clever."
Alli laughed, "Yeah."
By this point Daniel had joined Jack a little ahead of Alli and Alec, "They seem to be getting on well." He commented.
Jack shrugged, "As long as she doesn't kill him I don't care how well they get on."
"You don't really trust her do you?"
"What's not to trust? She's got a creature living in her head claiming not to be a Goa'uld and she's brought us to a desert planet in the middle of nowhere."
"OK I can see why you might find it hard to trust her, but if what she's saying's true..."
"If what she said is true, I might be forced to trust her."
Before Daniel could comment further a bright flash of some weapon speared towards them blasting into the sand mere inches from Jack's feet. The sand blew up in a blackened cloud. "Down!" Jack yelled, "Duck and cover."
He needn't have said anything at the sound of the shot the whole of SG1, Alli and Alec included, had ducked weapons raised (except for Alli who hadn't been given a weapon), eyes scanning the high dunes to either side of them.
A second shot hit the sand from a different directing leaving a blackened scar on the sand.
"Stay still, do not try to return fire or you will die." The voice was muffled by the layers of sand between them and it and seemed to echo around them so that it was unclear from which direction it came, but its meaning was perfectly clear. It also sounded amazingly like a Goa'uld.
"We, um come in peace?" Jack tried with a shug.
"Who are you?"
"Colonel Jack O'Neill of the SGC."
"Why are you here?"
"Actually we came to find a dead race and a gutted spaceship. Technically."
A shot blasted the sand inches from where Colonel O'Neill stood from a third direction, how many people were out there?
"No stupid answers, I'll ask you again; Why are you here?"
"Actually that was the truth."
"Crelt, stop playing around, they're friends...ish" Alli yelled at the dunes off to the left of the group.
"You know this person?" Jack asked in as close to a whisper as Jack ever got.
"Yeah, we used to be friends."
"So why the hell is he shooting at us?"
"Dunno, Crelt stop shootin' at us, why don't ya show y'r'self?" Jack was sure her accent had changed; the honey-toned accent had faded into something that almost sounded American.
"And who might you be my lovely?" The voice was now clearly that of the host, or at least it didn't echo as dully as that of a Goa'uld. It had also gained a strong American accent.
"Take a guess Crelt, I found the host who now carries you. He came from the same world as those who stand with me."
"So Crelt is a 'Nor'?" Daniel asked "And his host is Human?"
"Yeah, basically." "DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM YET?" Kelek' asked making the girl's eyes flash like, well like bright glowing eyes, even through the protective second eyelids.
Suddenly a tussled blond head appeared over the dunes in front of her followed by a stocky tanned man in pale desert gear. On one shoulder rested a rifle of some kind, definitely not human. "Kelek', sorry I didn't recognise you in such a lovely new skin."
"Was that an attempt at flattery Sebastien?"
"It might have been." The man grinned boyishly as he continued; "If any of you tries shooting at me the weapons set up 'round here 'll fry y'all." There was no mistaking that accent for anything but American, Alli must have been telling the truth, this man was certainly human-on the outside at least.
"Such friendly pal's ya got Al."
"I like to think so."
"What ya doin' with a bunch of humans Kelek'?"
"Trying to find you actually, and it's Alli, is there any one else here I might know?"
"Um actually...no. Feel like introducin' me to y'r friends?"
"What do you mean no?"
"Oh um, there isn't actually anyone left, really."
"What?"
"Well you know, most of the crew was killed in the fight, lots of explosions and the like. Then we ended up here and some sort of plague took care of the rest."
"Plague?" Jack asked.
"Yeah, you know, big sickness, killed the lot of 'em."
"Any chance it's still here Seb?"
"Um probably, so are ya gonna intro...."
"Seb! A plague?!"
Daniel interrupted, "How did you survive, when no one else did?"
"Dunno, maybe 'cos I got all the vaccines of Earth and Bubastis together."
"Bubastis?" Jack asked.
"Traditionally the site of the first temple of Basset on Earth." Daniel answered.
"Yeah, she felt like naming a world after it, the Goa'uld like doing that. Anyway I guess something in the Earth inoculations helped so you should all be fine."
"So you felt no effects at all?" Carter asked.
"Oh you know, bit a head ache, little bit sick, nothing much."
Alec, who had been watching Alli suddenly spoke up, "What's up?"
The others noticed that the Kriaz-Nor looked a little pale, she bit her lip, "Um, you lot might be fine, but I never had any vaccines on Earth, after the effect the penicillin had on me earlier your doctor decided not to give me anything else, just in case."
Sebastien swore, "How long did this thing take to start effecting your people?" Alec asked.
"Um, oh a day or so, not long. They were all dead within a week."
"Permission to return through the stargate with Alli sir?" Alec asked "Hopefully the doc can do something."
"Right, you two get going, Carter go with them. We'd best take a look at this ship of yours." He said turning to Sebastien.
"I promised they could see some of our technology." Alli said.
Sebastien looked a little uncomfortable, "Do you really think that's such a good idea, last time I was on Earth..."
"I WAS THERE TOO CRELT, BUT THESE HUMANS ARE NOW ENEMIES OF THE GOA'ULD. THEY REQUIRE OUR HELP."
"Fine, take care of yourself alright, this thing killed Nor and Kriaz alike."