Stargate SG-13

Episode 1: Fantasy

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Still don't own it. I'm trying to raise enough money from selling books to buy one of the Stargates, though. I figure a trillion dollars should be enough.

A/N (10/9/04): I'm planning to be Colonel Jack O'Neill for Superhero Day at school. He killed a god, after all; I figure that makes him a superhero, right? Oh, and I'm being a Jaffa for Halloween, and my brother's going to be Jack.

"So," I concluded, after explaining the situation to General Hammond and SG-1, "first things first. We need to send a probe through. The Omalyans had to have regained control of the Stargate in order to send the message through; perhaps they can do so again."

"Why?" General O'Neill asked bluntly. "Why would they bother?"

"To let help through," I said, attempting not to use the tone of voice that implied the unspoken "of course."

"Ma'am, how will they know when to retake the Gate? They have no way of knowing whether we even understood their message," Sam protested.

I had been thinking about that myself, and had just come up with an answer. "Jim."

All heads turned toward me. Up till then they had been making a show of not looking at me when I was speaking, as if I would leave if they simply denied the fact that I was there. My presence was an unwelcome intrusion upon the Air Force control of SGC. Most of the looks I now received were blank. I had to work hard to keep from laughing, as these blank stares reminded me of the confused expression that was perpetually glued to Jim's face. Even though he had a magical talent for knowing things, he had trouble understanding what he knew.

"Lord Jim," I expounded. "One of Mera's friends. He knows things, things he has no way of knowing."

"Like what?"

"Like when we're going to go through the Stargate. Or maybe Rachel would know that; she's a seeress. It really doesn't matter. One of them should know, and neither of them were captured by the Goa'uld."

"That we know of," General O'Neill pointed out.

"Maybe I can find out. You remember when I told Chaos that I just knew things? I'm beginning to think that might actually be true. It's how I came up with Omalya in the first place. If I'm right, I should be able to tell when the Khéósinz get control of the Stargate."

"And how do we know that you're right?" Jack asked.

"Daniel, say something in Khéósin," I commanded. The idea was forming further, as I examined the implications. As I had done so many times before, I went into my imagining mode, but this time I kept part of my mind aware in order to listen to what Daniel said.

"Aset sharéna ni khéósic."

"There is order in chaos," I translated. Suddenly I grinned. "Yes! It worked! Hooah!"

"Did I miss something?" Jack asked.

"Not really," I said. "Just the fact that I should have had no idea what Daniel just said. I haven't even looked at that language in seven years, except for the message Daniel and I just translated." I concentrated for a moment, then continued speaking. "At the moment, Jim is leading a group of soldiers—they seem to be Kwanites—in a campaign to retake the Stargate. They are positioned near the Stargate, waiting for his signal. It will come when we are in position to open the Stargate from our side."

"How can we be sure this is true?" General Hammond asked.

"We can't," I said. "That's why we send a probe through before going through ourselves."

A uniformed Air Force officer walked through the door and saluted. It was my brother, Blake. What the Hell was he doing here? "General Hammond, the Army is requesting to know how long Colonel Rainwater will be here." He continued to face Hammond, but looked at me through the corner of his eye.

"Thank you, Captain. Tell them we're not certain yet, but we'll let them know as soon as possible. By the way, have you met the Colonel?"

"He's my brother," I said before Blake could respond. I turned to my brother. "So this is the top-secret government project you mentioned. You could have told me the truth. I've been cleared for this since I was sixteen."

"Oh," he said, staring at me in shock. "Why'd they give you clearance?"

I looked at General Hammond. He nodded. "Go ahead."

"SG-1 went through the Stargate and ended up on Omalya. When they found out it was a world I had made up, they brought me in to translate the language."

"Oh," he said again. He blinked several times. "That's impossible."

"You'd better accept that it's possible, because I'm sending SG-13 to Omalya under the command of Colonel Rainwater."

"Sir?" Blake asked, his eyebrows raised.

"Since she has been there before, and since it seems to be her creation in the first place, she is best suited to leading a mission there."

"With all due respect, sir, I've never dealt with the Goa'uld before," I protested. I could foresee all sorts of problems with my brother under my command.

"Which is why you will be under the command of General O'Neill."

I nodded reluctantly to show that I understood.

"Captain Rainwater, as soon as you relay the message about Colonel Rainwater, I want you to report back here, along with the rest of SG-13, for debriefing on this mission."

SG-13 consisted of Blake, Lieutenant Tobeson, and Dr. Weis. Their leader, Major Smith, had bought the farm on the last mission, so at least I wasn't ousting anyone from command. Still, they were none to happy about being under the command of an Army officer.

"Alright, y'all," I began once we had all been introduced. "For now, you can call me 'Colonel' or 'ma'am.' Once we get to know each other a bit better, I might let you call me by my first name, or even by my nickname, Lightning. Blake here is my brother. We know each other pretty well, so he's allowed to call me 'Kali.' He is also my second-in-command, since he outranks the rest of you. If, for any reason, you are unable to contact me, you are to take orders from him. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Tobeson said sharply. Weis only nodded, his expression hostile. Blake did not respond. He probably couldn't think of anything clever to say. That, or being at the Air Force Academy had taught him to hold his tongue.

Weis, it seemed, would be the one to create the most problems. That came as a surprise. I had expected that there would be trouble with my brother and the Lieutenant, because they were in the Air Force, but I had thought the doctor would accept the change of leadership without comment. Apparently it was not going to be that easy.

As I led them to the Gate Room, Tobeson explained that Weis had been hoping for one of his friends, Major Svetski, to be put in charge of SG-13.

I half-expected to get lost, but after all these years, I still remembered the way to the Gate Room. SG-13 also knew where it was—better than I did, in fact—but it was best not to begin looking like a clueless pushover. First impressions are the most lasting, after all. However, if I came across anything that I genuinely didn't know, I wouldn't hesitate to admit it.

"SG-13 reporting as ordered, sir," I said, saluting General Hammond.

"Thank you, Colonel."

"SG-1 also reporting as ordered, sir," said General O'Neill, coming in behind my team. He was not about to be outdone by an upstart colonel from the Army.

"Chevron three encoded," said the man in charge of dialing the Stargate address.

"Now, I want you to understand that although you may have gone through the Stargate more often than the Colonel, she has a better working knowledge of this planet," General Hammond began.

"Chevron four encoded."

"Not only has she been there before, she has a… talent—"

"Psychic," I interrupted.

"Excuse me?"

"My theory is that I have a psychic ability to determine what is happening or has happened on that planet. It's probably aided by Omalya's magic."

"Chevron five encoded."

Major Carter threw her support behind me. "It makes sense, sir. This is not the first incident of psychic abilities we've encountered. Remember when Jonas was having precognitive visions."

"Chevron six encoded. Waiting for permission before engaging chevron seven."

That was my cue. I concentrated on Omalya, specifically the area immediately surrounding the Stargate. In my mind's eye, I could see Jim, along with several warriors Kwanite warriors. "Let's go!" he said. After a moment of surprise, I realized that he had actually spoken in Khéósin.

The warriors attacked the unsuspecting Jaffa and subdued them easily. It helped that their magic shields kept them from being affected by the staff-weapons.

"They're in position," I said. "Finish the dialing sequence."

"Chevron seven locked."

"Send the probe through," General Hammond ordered as soon as the wormhole was established.

A special device tracked the progress of the probe through the wormhole. I watched it with avid fascination. When it stopped, I marked the spot in my mind. That was where Omalya was in the galaxy.

"Receiving MALP telemetry."

I turned my attention to the computer screen. The scene was exactly as I had imagined it. It came as something of a shock. Up till that point, I hadn't been entirely sure that it would work. Just because I could imagine it didn't mean it was real.

"SG teams 1 and 13, you have a go."

SG-1 went through first. I paused just in front of the Gate.

"First time?" Lieutenant Tobeson asked sympathetically.

"No, actually, I've been through it before. It's just that it's been ten years since I've seen this thing." I shrugged. "Here goes nothing." Before I could lose my nerve, I dove through the Stargate. When I came out on the other side, I tucked and rolled.

Jack gave me one of those are-you-sure-you're-sane looks that I get all the time. I grinned at him and tossed my head.

"Salín!' Jim said as soon as we were all through.

I made a face. "English, please. I know you can speak it, and we can't speak Khéósin."

"I distinctly remember you translating a Kayosin sentence into English," said Jack.

"Khéósin," one of Jim's soldiers corrected.

"I have to concentrate in order to understand it," I explained.

"Ah." Obviously he didn't understand, but didn't care for me to confuse him further. That was just as well; I wasn't sure I understood it myself, at least not well enough to explain it to anyone else.

"So, Jim, what's the situation?" I asked.

"How do you know my name?" he demanded.

"I know things."

He blinked. "Oh."

"The situation?" I prompted.

"Mera and Zak were taken by the Goa'uld. The Jaffa warriors are taking over the planet. They are meeting stiff resistance. However, we can't hold them off indefinitely."

"And even if you could, they'd probably blow your planet to Hell," Jack put in.

"What are the other gods doing to help?"

"Nothing," Jim said. "They're afraid that if they do anything, the Goa'uld will destroy the planet from space."

"So, basically, we need to blow up their ship," I concluded. "Ships. How many ships do they have?"

"One."

"Ship, then. I was right the first time. We blow up their ship."

"Sounds good to me," Jack said approvingly.

Jim looked about him sharply. "More Jaffa on the way. Let's move."

"Right." That, of course, was Jack, but then I'm sure the reader could have figured that out for himself. And no, I'm not going to be politically correct. Political correctness is a bloody nuisance. Since I'm a girl myself, it really shouldn't bother anyone. And if it does, well, that's just too bad. This is my story, and I'm going to write it my way.

I expected us to hide in the dunes, and indeed we retired behind some out of sight of the Stargate. But then Jim began to sing. Although I made to effort to understand the words, I knew what they were, for I recognized the tune: the Song of Chaos. I see beauty in destruction. I know hope comes from despair. Error is the best instruction. I know life is always fair. 'Cause I'm from Chaos, and that's where I'm taught. 'Cause I'm from Chaos, I'll never be caught. I'll always have hope in my heart…. A roiling black cloud began to form nearby.

"What the Hell is that?" Lieutenant Tobeson demanded.

"The Chaos Tunnel," Jim replied. Not that that was any sort of explanation to Tobeson, who had never so much as heard of the Chaos Tunnel, although I suppose he could have read about it on , where I kept my stories about Mera and Zach—back then, he spelt his name with a "ch."

"It's kind of like the Stargate," I elaborated. "It can be used to travel from one place to another while only taking a few steps. Don't worry, it's perfectly safe."

"If you say so," Tobeson said skeptically.

"Trust me," I said with a grin.

"Hurry," Jim said. Following his own advice, he stepped into the cloud—yes, it was at ground level. That's part of the nature of the Chaos Tunnel. It really wouldn't do to have the entrance to the Tunnel be up in the sky—no one would ever be able to reach it.

I stepped through after Jim, emerging in a long stone tunnel. The rest of my team followed after me. Dr. Weis peered about with a calculating eye. Shortly thereafter SG-1 appeared. Jack looked around distastefully.

"Please tell me you're not taking us to meet an assassin," he said, remembering the last time he'd gone through the Chaos Tunnel, when I'd had to talk really fast to keep the assassin who called herself Chaos from killing us. Speaking of Chaos, all information about her is now extremely classified, not to be revealed to anyone without my express permission—even she can't tell people about herself unless I let her. It was mostly a political decision, which explains why it's so absurd. But that's part of the next adventure, so I'll talk no more of it here.

Jim suddenly decided to look anywhere but at Jack. Since the Chaos Tunnel was rather featureless, his gaze settled on me. "Actually, I was planning to take you to meet Nai'óbí. I think she could be of great help in whatever you're planning to do."

I grimaced. Nai'óbí was Chaos—sort of.

"Nai'óbí?" Jack asked.

"She works for Chaos," Jim explained in my general direction.

Actually, that was the story she told the rest of the world. Chaos was, in fact, a persona she had created, nothing more than a myth. He—yes, he—was an assassin, the most skilled assassin ever—until Jacob beat him. Jacob, Prince of Relgar, who was now married to Nai'óbí.

"Look, Jack," I said. "Nai'óbí works for Chaos. We've met Chaos, and he didn't kill us." I stressed the "he" in order to keep Jack from letting slip that Chaos was female. I hadn't yet decided to let on about Chaos's true identity to those present. I'd let her make that decision for herself. I'd probably made a mistake ten years ago in letting SG-1 know who she really was. Not her name—they didn't know that—but the fact that the name of Chaos matched up to the face of a certain woman, who was married to Prince Jacob of Relgar. "If we tell Nai'óbí, I'm sure she'll be impressed."

"You're positive?"

I thought about that for a moment. No, she wouldn't be impressed. After all, whyever would anyone be impressed that someone had met them before? "Actually, I take that back. But I am certain that she won't kill us."

"She'll know you're lying," Jim declared.

Why does he think we're lying? I wondered. It couldn't be his talent; what that told him was always true. It really didn't matter; Nai'óbí would recognize Jack, at the very least. She didn't kill us before, so she wouldn't kill us now. She. He. I'd called Chaos a "he." Of course Jim would know the truth; he was an Immortal.

I blinked. I'd never thought of him as an Immortal before, but I knew the title was correct. So. It seemed I could learn things about Omalya without even trying. Kind of like Jim, actually. His talent was mostly not under conscious control.

"Actually, Jim, she'll know we're telling the truth. Don't you think I know who Chaos is? No secret is safe from me. On the other hand, most secrets are safe with me." Jim, don't you dare even think of blabbing who Chaos really is! Let her decide just how much she wants us to know about her.

"Eh, Jim," Daniel said. "Eghís Khéósil asé sa'il palíem skímúr. Tobeson, Rainwater, té Weis ófin skínt." We know Chaos is a girl. Tobeson, Rainwater, and Weis don't.

Jim looked sharply at Tobeson and Dr. Weis. "Sínglé aset khórsé."

Khórsé I definitely recognized that word. Khórsé Korinth. Traitor Korinth. Jim had known Korinth, knew Korinth was no traitor, knew the pain it caused Korinth to be falsely accused. One of them is a traitor. He wouldn't make that accusation lightly.

Jack must have felt the tension building. "What did he say?"

Daniel looked at me. I shook my head slightly. "I'm not entirely sure, Jack. I told him we knew who Chaos was, and I think he accused me of lying, but he used a very antique dialect. I couldn't quite make it out."

"Why was he looking at Lieutenant Tobeson and Dr. Weis?"

"Maybe he knew they don't know who Chaos is, sir," I suggested—somewhat absently, for I was trying to use my Omalya-sense to figure out which one was the traitor. It wasn't working; perhaps it only worked on true Omalyans, or on people with magic in them. All Omalyans have some degree of magic. Eventually I gave it up. I would have to figure it out the hard way. And I would have to make sure everyone else was aware of the danger. "Khéósil démód," I told Jim. Warn Chaos. To Daniel, I said, "Jackil lét démód." Warn Jack later.

"Savé," Daniel replied. He understood.

Now all that was left to do was hope this didn't blow up in my face.

Music playing in the background. Action shots of all the characters. Shots of the Stargate. A.k.a. that cool commercial advertising Stargate.

Elfcarii: Daniel definitely rocks. And Sha're (or Sha'uri in the movie) is still alive. I don't care what anyone says, in my universe she's still alive. So there! And the fact is, I wasn't a Stargate fan until a couple months ago. Somehow my little brother managed to get me hooked. He's been congratulating himself ever since.