As always, thanks to Turtle D for making corrections and suggestions. I really do appreciate it!!
O'Neill could see the surface of the planet through the window of the cargo ship and felt a little uneasy as he thought about the fortress located there. It had only taken them three weeks to get there, but he was ready to get started on this. Three weeks of sheer boredom gave him plenty of opportunity to get ready for the mission.
They had come up on the planet far from where the fortress was located hoping to hide from Ba'al's sensors as long as they could. They all knew that they had probably been seen the minute they entered the area, but they tried anyway.
O'Neill stood behind the console in the control area with his hands bound in front of him. In their efforts to make things as realistic as possible, Jacob had tied O'Neill's hands tightly and the roughness of the material was rubbing the skin on his wrists raw. He knew this was the least of his worries, but he still tried to smile at Daniel as he came over to check the tightness.
"You going to be okay, Jack?" Daniel asked with a look O'Neill had seen so many times before. Daniel was afraid for him and O'Neill really didn't need to see that right now. He wanted to see the Daniel who had visited him during his imprisonment the last time he was here. The calm, practical Daniel who kept him talking, kept him from dwelling on what Ba'al had done and what he would do to him the next time.
"Yeah," he said, "I'll be alright. You and SG-1 will get me out of there before Ba'al knows what hit him, okay?" He had complete faith in his team.
"Yes, we will," Carter said with conviction, as she came over to join them.
"It's just that I hate it when you put yourself in harm's way," Daniel said. "One of these days you won't come out of it."
"I don't always put myself in harm's way, that stuff just seems to find me no matter where I'm hiding out," O'Neill said defensively, "besides, it all boils down to someone having to do it. I just happen to be that someone."
"You don't always have to be that someone," Daniel said. "Any one of us would take your place."
"I know that Daniel and I really appreciate it. It has to be me this time, though," O'Neill said. "And we both know it."
"We'll be there for you, sir," Carter said as her eyes stared into his. He knew what she was thinking, but he couldn't acknowledge her feelings anymore than he could acknowledge his own. The regulations pretty much destroyed any chance of that happening. O'Neill tried to shake off the emotions that were threatening to engulf him as he stared back at her. They had erected an invisible barrier between them, allowing only the glances and the slight innuendos to show through, but not the emotions or the words that would tell the world what they felt for each other.
It was because of this barrier and the one dictated by the military regulations that O'Neill was able to let her go, for her to find happiness with another man. Pete seemed like a nice guy and Carter must be in love with him to want to marry him, it just caused another hurt that O'Neill would have to bury away in his heart. The bad part of Carter's relationship with Pete was that O'Neill just knew that letting her go was another regret waiting to happen.
Regrets were something he refused to dwell on.
"I'll be back," he said with a grin in his best 'Terminator' accent.
Five minutes later, the show got underway and O'Neill waited anxiously as Ba'al's voice came over the communication device. "Identify yourself," he commanded.
"I am Sal'trey," said Janun. "I wish to talk with you in regard to a barter."
"What could you possibly have that I would want?" Ba'al replied.
"O'Neill of the Tau'ri," Janun said. "I would like to trade him for a Ha'tak and several Death Gliders. He is worth more than that to you, is he not?"
O'Neill squirmed as he waited for Ba'al's reply. It seemed a long time in coming and he noticed he wasn't the only one worrying. The others were all standing tensely.
"Who else is with you?" Ba'al asked finally breaking the silence.
"My First Prime," said Janun, "and my Jaffa. I ask that we be granted access to your fortress."
The air shimmered in front of them and a hologram of Ba'al emerged. O'Neill was suddenly glad that the others had donned the clothing of Jaffa just in case this happened.
The image of Ba'al looked around the control area until his eyes met those of O'Neill's. O'Neill stared back defiantly, telling Ba'al with his eyes and his posture that he was ready for a fight.
"You have done well," Ba'al said turning to Janun. "I grant you and three of your Jaffa access to the fortress along with your prize."
"What are you willing to trade for the Tau'ri," Janun asked.
"We will discuss this when you arrive," Ba'al said dismissing them.
"We will discuss this now," Janun demanded. "I will not come down there until I am assured my safety and that I will be richly compensated for my troubles."
"How did you capture O'Neill?" Ba'al asked, apparently expecting Janun's refusal to divulge that information.
"That is not important," Janun said. "It is enough that he is here."
"A Ha'tak and four Death Gliders," Ba'al decreed with an air of finality.
"Add three more Death Gliders and a dozen of your prototype soldiers and it will be a deal," Janun countered.
"I could simply destroy your cargo ship with everyone aboard, including O'Neill, eliminating him for good," Ba'al threatened.
"You want O'Neill alive," Janun said. "You will get no information from him if he is dead." That statement caused O'Neill to inwardly cringe. He knew first hand how Ba'al would try to extract that information.
"A Ha'tak and seven Death Gliders," Ba'al responded. "I will not allow you to take any of my prototype soldiers."
"Surely O'Neill is worth more than that," Janun argued.
"I am being generous in granting you the mother ship," Ba'al snarled. "You would do well to accept the terms."
O'Neill waited while Janun pretended to contemplate the offer. He was beginning to have second thoughts on this and he willed himself not to show it to anyone. He hadn't realized how scared he would be now that he was so close to Ba'al. He hadn't counted on this.
"I accept," Janun replied and O'Neill closed his eyes against the feeling of doom sweeping over him.
The hologram faded out and everyone relaxed. O'Neill could feel the tension leaving the room and hoped it would ease his own fears. He glanced back at his team and he saw Teal'c give him a nod that told him that he would not be alone.
"Bring O'Neill to me," Ba'al demanded over the communication device.
It was really happening, Gallagher thought as he watched the hologram fade out. He saw O'Neill look back at them and he felt his heart swell with pride at how well the General handled it. To everyone else, O'Neill appeared to be cool, calm and collected, but Gallagher knew the General all too well. O'Neill was probably scared out of his mind and too damned stubborn to let it show.
Gallagher had wanted to be one of the Jaffa to escort O'Neill to the surface, but Selmac insisted that it was better he and O'Neill went separately in the event their plan failed. He could then find his way in for a possible rescue mission. Gallagher could see the reasoning of this and agreed, but he still felt justified in grousing that this was from someone who wasn't even supposed to be there in the first place.
He followed Janun and O'Neill into the cargo area and watched as Teal'c, Daniel and Kanan joined them. They gathered in the middle of the rings and waited for Carter to activate the device.
"Good luck Jack," Gallagher called softly and O'Neill turned to acknowledge. They stared at each other for a few seconds, sharing their common fears and emotions until Carter activated the rings
Gallagher was still trying to sort out his feelings a half hour later when the cargo ship pulled up alongside the mother ship Ba'al had provided.
"You okay, Gallagher?" Carter asked, giving him a worried look.
"Yes, ma'am," he replied. No way was he going to admit the fact that he may have just experienced O'Neill's feelings, almost as if they were connected. He was worried enough about his sanity as it was, without having her think he had lost one too many marbles.
Jacob maneuvered the cargo ship so that Gallagher and Carter could use the rings to enter the mother ship. Their job was to check out the ship to make sure Ba'al hadn't left any booby traps or things that would jump out at them after O'Neill was delivered to Ba'al. Carter thoroughly checked out everything, including the engines and the controls, while Gallagher scouted the entire ship for possible dangers such as stray Jaffa or the aforementioned booby traps.
Ba'al must have decided to play it safe until he had a better grasp on things, because surprisingly, the ship was deemed safe by Carter. She opened the doors in the cargo hold for Jacob to bring the Tel'tak inside. They completed one more sweep of the ship to be absolutely sure they were safe, before Jacob made the call to Janun to inform him that the terms of the trade had been met.
They waited until Janun, Kanan, Teal'c and Daniel were transported up before moving onto phase two of their plan. They immediately went to the control area where Jacob and Janun went to work steering the mother ship toward the fleet of ships they knew to belong to Nirrti. They eased in behind the fleet moving along the edge of it until they got a good view of the fortress. Once they were situated, Janun set about inputting the coordinates of the targets.
"Nirrti has spotted us," Jacob said. "She is sending a message to Ba'al."
Gallagher stood there with the others, waiting tersely for the message to come through. Jacob worked some controls on a panel to enable them to listen in, and then Nirrti's voice was heard.
"I demand to speak to Lord Ba'al," she said arrogantly.
"My Lord is unavailable," came the response.
"He will speak to me. I wish to know why he is sending a Ha'tek toward my fleet," Nirrti demanded. "I asked for more than one. I will speak to him now."
"Please wait while I ask if he will speak with you," Ba'al's Jaffa answered.
It wasn't long before Nirrti got her answer, and she wasn't too pleased with it. "My Lord will speak with you later," Ba'al's Jaffa said over the communiqué.
This was going better than they planned, Gallagher thought, almost too smoothly. He hoped that Ba'al would follow their plans, as well. Somehow, Gallagher didn't think he would.
"I demand to speak with him," Nirrti said. "He will answer to this insult. Tell him I am transporting to the fortress now."
"My Lord will not see you," the Jaffa said. "He is with a prisoner."
"Oh my God!" Gallagher exclaimed. "O'Neill. Colonel, we have to do something now!" he said, starting to panic.
"Wait," Jacob said holding up his hand.
"I will contact you in one hour," Nirrti said. "Tell Lord Ba'al that I will meet with him then."
The communication stopped and the silence in the room was filled with apprehension. Gallagher couldn't wait any longer, his fear threatening to swallow him whole. "Jacob," he growled.
"Alright," Jacob said. "As O'Neill would say, let's get this show on the road."
"It's about damned time," Gallagher said as he ran toward the transporter room followed closely by the rest of SG-1.