The Heart's Refusal to Believe – Ch. 12

Thanks TZMaverick for your help in editing this chapter!

Thanks to everyone that has taken the time to read and review this story! 8-)

"I am not the one that left you behind, Ambassador." Molum said evenly looking at Sam as he left.

Sam started to speak when Jack touched her arm and whispered. "He is just goading you, Sam. Don't listen to him."

"Jack's right you can't believe anything Molum says." Joe said speaking fromexperience.

Sam looked at Jack's hand on her arm and then up to his eyes. She nodded with a small smile. She then looked at Joe. "He talks as if you two were friends. Why would Molum be surprised that you would want to go home again?"

Joe thought about it for a moment before he spoke, "The memory that I had of that fateful day three years ago was not the correct version."

"What is that suppose to mean?" Jack asked.

Jacob, Daniel, and Teal'c left their hiding place to listen to Joe while they searched for a way to turn off the force field.

"In reality I was knocked unconscious by some sort of energy beam when I attacked Borren. I recently found out the ship was setup for automatic weapons. If a member of the Aschen is threatened then the beam will spread throughout the room rendering everyone with a different physiology other than the Aschen unconscious. This is why they don't carry weapons, and they are not intimidated by those that do carry weapons."

"But you didn't remember that, what did they want you to believe?" Sam asked cautiously.

Joe crossed the room slowly, looking at Sam the whole way. When he stopped within arms reach of her he continued his story.

Jack was becoming more protective of Sam the closer Joe got. He knew Sam wasn't going to be happy with whatever Joe told her.

"You and I were the only two from Earth that attended the Treaty." Joe began to explain his false memory focusing his attention on Sam. "You setup the laptop you brought for negotiations. We were given several Aschen programs that would allow Earth to create their own transporters, harvesters, and finally the genetic bomb that would destroy the Goa'ulds. You accepted their offer and then claimed you were downloading gate addresses they requested. When Molum noticed a small counter in the lower right corner he questioned you about it. You explained that it was the time remaining for the download. You had them dial Earth so you could retrieve a disk that was essential for the download and offered to leave me there to continue negotiations."

"What was the counter really for?" Sam asked although she was sure she knew the answer.

Joe took a deep breath before continuing, "The counter looked strange to me. I knew it wasn't downloading a program. When it was down to one minute it dawned on me what it was for. I looked in the large bag you left behind to find an identical counter strapped to what looked like a nuclear bomb. Molum questioned what it was for. I explained that it was a bomb. We immediately knew that we had been betrayed. Molum quickly picked up the bomb and threw it through the open gate to Earth just before it exploded. I assumed all was lost. I had been betrayed by my own people and then to save my life, I unknowingly had the bomb thrown through the gate destroying my own planet." Joe had spent countless hours coming to grips with his guilt and anger over the events of that day.

Sam rubbed Joe's arm to offer comfort. "I'm sorry, I …" She started to apologize.

"You didn't do anything to apologize for, Sam." Joe said completely sincere.

Sam couldn't argue with him, but she still felt bad that he believed she betrayed him.

Joe continued to recount the false memory, "Several hours later, the Aschen dialed the first gate address that you left behind and sent several men through the gate, but they didn't return as scheduled. They dialed back, but this time they couldn't disconnect. They had gated to the black hole. They attempted to shut it down, but were unsuccessful. After two hours of constantly failed attempts I was knocked unconscious as debris began to be sucked into the open gate. That was the last of the events they had planted in my mind. I regained consciousness two weeks later in an Aschen clinic. Although, in reality I was actually unconscious during their black hole incident, I did see the effects several months later. They lost the majority of their crops and homes before they were able to shut the gate down. I felt it was my duty to help the Aschen. I thought of nothing except how to help them. It was eerie. Looking at it now, I know I was drugged."

"You obviously remembered the truth at some point. How did that happen?" Jack asked.

"I lived on the Aschen homeworld and left only for negotiations with other races." He looked around to the shock on their faces. "Yes, can you believe I have spent two years negotiating with other races trying to regain enough land to feed the entire Aschen population? There was one particular group that we had been negotiating with for a while for more land usage. The people didn't have any need for our medicine or technology. It wasn't that they were more advanced than the Aschen. They weren't, they were just content to live their lives without any outside interference. This didn't sit well with the Aschen Confederation. You remember the Aschen created a star to increase the farming on one of their planets?" He asked Sam.

"Yes?" Sam answered not sure where this was going.

"They also learned how to manipulate the planets weather to prevent a growing season due to an extremely harsh winter."

"How did they do that? And why would they want to unless they could reverse the process?"

Joe laughed remembering just how inquisitive she could be. "I don't know, that is more your field than mine. I did witness the change first hand though. I missed the last Aschen ship that left the area. I wasn't worried at first, but then the weather began to slowly change. Eventually, winter set in for a very long time. The Ni'angs ran out of food and the Aschen arrived just in time to save the day. By then I had remembered what really happened. The Aschen were the ones that tried to destroy Earth and I chose to stay behind." He said looking at Sam to make his point.

"What happened when you went back to the Aschen homeworld?"

"Despite the fact that I knew the truth, I still felt compelled to work for the Aschen. When I was off-world I didn't have that instinct quite as strong. That's when I knew for sure that I had been drugged. I still don't know how they managed to drug me without my knowledge."

"Do you think it was in the food?"

"It could have been, but I also ate the Aschen food while I was off-world."

Sam was absorbing Joe's story mixed with guilt, anger, and sadness. She was about to question Joe further when Jacob interrupted.

"Got it!" Jacob/ Selmak said as the force field lowered allowing the occupants to leave their confinement.

Jacob walked past Jack and Joe as they made their exit to give his daughter a hug. "I am so glad that you are alright. Are you sure you're not injured?"

Sam hugged her dad back. "I'm fine dad, really." Sam said smiling and watching her other teammates lining up to show their gratitude and relief that she had been found.

Daniel was next in line to give her a hug. "You had us so worried, Sam. We really thought we had lost you."

"I'm fine Daniel, thanks to all of you."

Teal'c was last to offer a hug and surprised her by whispering, "We have all greatly missed you Colonel Carter. I must apologize for believing so easily that you had succumbed to death. Only one heart refused to believe and therefore began to question the tragic events." Teal'c looked at Colonel Carter to see if she understood his meaning. He glanced at O'Neill and then back to her. He was pleased when she finally realized what he was speaking of.

Sam looked up at Teal'c confused at first and then she realized he must have been talking about the General, although she now referred to him more often as Jack. She smiled and nodded her head to confirm that she did understand or at least she hoped she did. Maybe that was why he refused to explain how they found her; although she had a sinking feeling there was more to it then that.

They were the last two to exit and make their way towards the transporter, hoping they would land soon.

"I don't understand something." Jack whispered as they made their way to the transporter. "If they are waiting for Kinsey's men to return and Kinsey is going to gate back to the planet, then why did we leave the planet?"

"Security measures." Joe replied, "After the black hole incident they will only dial the planet once and if no one returns then they travel to another planet to use their gate."

"Which reminds me, did you really give them gate coordinates?" Jack turned to look at Sam.

"Yes, Sir I did." She said smiling adding the sir because of the company she was in. "I have been working on a portable DHD and I was able to download three gate addresses to uninhabited worlds."

"If it's uninhabited, then why haven't Kinsey's men returned?"

"Molum still had the portable DHD and without it they can't go anywhere. There isn't a DHD on any of the three planets."

"I can't believe you created a portable DHD!" Daniel said knowing how impossible that was.

"Good thinking, kiddo." Jacob was proud of his daughter.

"Thanks dad. What's even better … Kinsey is about to join his men, and with two suns in the middle of their summer season, Kinsey is going to be miserable in his three-piece suit." Sam was satisfied with the events.

"Ohhhhh nice, Carter!" Jack patted her on the back. "I like the idea of Kinsey living off-world for a while without the luxuries of home. Maybe that will give him some perspective."

"Thank you, Sir. I do have a question. Now that the Aschen are aware that Earth survived. How are we going to stop any further attacks against Earth?"

"Let's deal with one problem at a time shall we. Let's get off this ship first before we worry about any further attacks." Although in the back of Jack's mind he was worried about a lot of things. An Aschen attack on Earth was just one of many. He was also worried about what Molum would do to keep them from returning home. He knew their escape from the room was a little too easy. If Molum knew when he entered the room to begin with and activated the force field, it would only stand to reason that he probably knew they had escaped. Jack was hoping they weren't walking into another trap.

Just then the ship began to slowly descend. "We are landing, O'Neill."

Joe and Jack went to the window. "Wow." Jack replied to what he saw out the window.

"What is it?" Sam asked not really wanting anymore surprises.

"We have arrived at the Aschen homeworld." Joe replied not pleased by their destination.

TBC