--- --- Sandrana --- ---

The red light of the nightsun was still high in the sky and a soft breeze blew over the land, rustling the small leaves of the Tarana trees that lined the alley leading to his house. He shivered slightly in the chilly breeze. The stars were barely visible in the red light and he wondered to himself whether there had ever been a time when he'd been able to see those sparkling dots clearly. During his time in the military, he had seen them more clearly but the huge red nightsun as well as the two daysuns had always kept him from seeing them without a sheet of dust. Yet, he had that strange feeling when he looked up at them; somehow he knew the stars better than he could, given his past experiences.

Sometimes, in his dreams, he saw the stars clearly, without the red dust covering them. But they weren't the same stars that shone dimly through the red nighttime Sandranan sky. In those dreams, he usually saw faces too. A dark-skinned man with a golden tattoo on his forehead, a brown-haired man with glasses, sometimes a boy with green eyes... but most of the time, he saw her. His brain told him that he didn't know her, he'd never seen her, but, in his dreams, he could see her as clearly as the stars. Blue eyes glowing under short strands of blonde hair, her face lightened by a radiant smile that seemed to warm him from within, making his heart beat faster.

"You're thinking of her again, Barol."

There was no need to answer. Tharyl knew him well enough to understand. They'd met some circles ago, both lonely, both seeking. They kept each other company at night, nothing more. He knew her heart belonged to someone else and she knew that he - there was no easy way to say it and, yet, it was so simple. He was in love with a dream.

"Have you found out who she is?"

"No."

Her arms encircled him from behind, drawing him to her. The familiar warmth calmed him and he felt himself relaxing into her embrace.

"You'll find her. I know it."

"What if..."

"No, she's not a dream. I know it. You should know it as well."

He nodded his head in acknowledgement though he had problems agreeing with her. What if she really was a dream? What if he'd never find her? A soft kiss on his neck made him shiver and, with an enormous act of willpower, he pushed the unpleasant thoughts away. Soon, Tharyl had him engaged in a different kind of game but all he could see was HER face.

Afterwards, as they lay close together, his hand drawing circles on her stomach, Tharyl smiled at him with one of those smiles that reminded him so much of HER.

"Was that her name?"

"What?"

"Sam, is that her name? You called it out, when you..."

Her voice faded and left the room in silence. Sam. He knew that name. The face popped up behind his closed eyes and he thought a moment about the new piece of information. Sam. Now the dream woman finally had a name. Sam. Slowly he drifted off to sleep. Sam.

--- --- --- --- ---

Sam nervously paced the bridge of the Asgard ship. The gray walls seemed to bury her and she had no idea what to do next. Thor had told her that it could take years to find Jack. He'd started to search this galaxy, but chances were Jack wasn't here. Fortunately, Thor hadn't even had to think about helping them. Though the Asgard Council had been reluctant to help them at first, Thor had been most persuasive. He'd convinced them that this was a good way to repay Jack's help. With a bit of help from Thor they'd remembered who'd solved the Replicator problem for them. Finally, they had agreed to send five ships. It wasn't much, but far more than Earth could've offered.

Daniel stayed on Earth. He would coordinate the SG-based search. Not that there was much of one. The Committee had agreed that they had already spent too many resources on finding one retired General, even if this general was Jack O'Neill. Yet, they couldn't force Daniel to give up the search. All teams that went out had the direct order to search for signs of Jack beneath their overall mission goals. Daniel would contact her should they find anything. She knew he wanted to come along, but he was needed on Earth. He had to be there for Jeremy. The boy had just started with college and he had a hard time adjusting.

Teal'c still led teams through the Gate. He had refused to return to Chulak, wanting to stay at the ESGC to make sure they were still searching. In fact, they were all doing what they had done since... But her job was done. She'd found the means to contact the Asgard. Now, all that was left for her was to assist Thor in his search. And, of course, there was Jack. Well, not her Jack, but the other Jack.

She'd told him to leave, that there was no need to stay for what could be years but he refused. He'd said that he would stay for as long as necessary. Now, he was just a few feet away in their on-board quarters. It only helped to make matters worse. The whole thing was so confusing.

"Samantha Carter."

Sam spun around as she heard the familiar voice behind her.

"I believe that we have found something."

Her heart skipped a few beats. They'd found... something. Willing herself to keep her hopes low, her breath caught in her throat as she tried to process what she'd just heard.

"What? Where?"

"We have just met a trader who is traveling through the galaxies. He told me that he had met a man who fits O'Neill's description on a planet called Sandrana. It will take us some time to get there. The planet's position is in the Cepheus galaxy."

Trader? Sandrana? All those things simply brushed past her. The only thing that sank in was that they had found him. They had really found him.

--- --- --- --- ---

Rivers of sweat ran down his temples, and he brushed a hand above his eyes. The salty fluid covered him and he stopped his work, blinking against the bright light. The second daysun had just come up and the temperature on the fields had risen to a nearly unbearable degree.

"Barol!"

The voice was familiar but not one he would have expected to hear, at least not here. When he turned around, he saw his old friend waving.

"Hey Karan. Whatcha doing here?"

The older man dropped the bag he had been holding and stepped closer towards him. He was looking very serious but Barol could already see the start of a smile on his lips.

"Just thought I'd try to drive you nuts."

"It's good to see you again, old friend."

Barol pulled Karan in a brotherly hug, slapping him on the shoulder in excitement. He hadn't seen his friend in months. Not since the end of the war. They'd fought at each other's side for as long as Barol could remember. Since their childhood, Karan had been directly next to him, always watching his six.

But the war had changed things. It had broken something in Barol. If it hadn't been for this last mission, he would probably still be a soldier but, the way it was, it had been too much to handle. Even today, he still saw the little blonde boy: screaming as his parent's blood pooled around his feet, his eyes wide and terrified as the fire surrounded him, burning him. After that, Karan's and his lives had taken different direction. Where Barol had decided to lead the calm life of a farmer in the hope to bury his demons somewhere in the ground, Karan had stayed in the military.

"It's good to see you, too. Life has been good to you."

"Yeah, that's the fresh air."

"And the good company. I met your mate."

A deeper shade of red flushed Barol's face but the dark, sun burnt skin disguised it successfully. He brushed one hand through his gray hair before he stepped past Karan. As much as he liked to see his old friend again, there was something in the violet eyes telling Barol more than he wanted to know. His brown eyes seemed to scan the horizon when, in fact, he tried to figure out what had brought Karan here. Finally, he felt the man behind him turn around.

"Karan. As much as I enjoy seeing you again, I don't think this is just a social call. Is it?"

"No. To be honest, it is not. But this can wait until I have had a drink."

Barol hesitated a moment but, then, turned around and smiled at his friend. "I have little to offer but there's always enough for a friend."

With a fluid movement, he took his comrade's heavy bag and led him towards the house. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to hear what his friend had to say. Karan had never been the bearer of good news.

--- --- --- --- ---

Sandrana was not like she had imagined it to be. Their own galaxy had been a peaceful place, at least as peaceful as it could get. Most of the worlds had started to explore the universe after the Goa'uld threat had been removed. Traders were traveling through the galaxy and the long-suppressed slaves responded willingly to their new possibilities. It was one of those traders that had brought them to Sandrana.

Sam hadn't even known that some of the traders traveled to other galaxies. They had been on the planet for two days, their search not going as well as she would have wished. The scars of a recent war covered the planet; she guessed it had been over some months ago. Bombed buildings and huge crates in the soil showed her only too well what had happened here, her soldier's mind leaving nothing to imagination.

They had found a hint that had brought them out of the main territory into some out-of-the-way hick town. A woman with golden eyes and white hair scanned the picture Sam was holding in her trembling hands. The dry voice, like the rustle of fall's leaves, made her jump and she focused her attention solely on the woman.

"I know this man; this is Barol."

The old woman nodded heavily, her gaze still fixed on the picture. Sam could have kissed her right then and there.

"And... Do you know where Barol lives?"

"Sure. Everyone does. Barol is a local hero. He lives outside the village on a Penga farm. Just follow that street. You can't miss it."

"Thank you so much."

The woman smiled at her and then walked away. Other Jack, as she had started to call him in her mind, stepped out of the house entrance he'd been hiding in, a huge smile spread on his face.

"It's him, Jack. We did it."

"Yeah, we did it."

His hand settled on her shoulder as they started to walk in the direction the woman had given them. For just one moment, she thought she heard him say something like 'It's too easy' but she refused to dwell on it.

The bright burning suns offered little shelter though they were already low in the sky. Sam pushed the shades up on her nose to shield them from the glow. Other Jack mirrored her movement and, simultaneously, pulled his cap deeper in his face. After all, those people seemed to know his face pretty well.

Now, she was glad that she persuaded Thor to stay for just a few more days. The DNA scan hadn't been able to place Jack on the planet and they were forced to use older methods of searching. But it seemed as if their search finally drew to an end.

The houses grew thinner as they walked the alley. Huge trees lined the cobblestone street. The planet was definitely not as advanced as she would have imagined, considering the way Jack had disappeared. If she had to guess, she'd say the planet was about Earth standard, maybe in the mid 50s. They hadn't started their exploration of space; at least there were no satellites in orbit. It wasn't like she had thought it to be. She had expected to find him locked away somewhere, in some fortress; instead, he was walking around, calling himself Barol and playing farmer.

Sickness started to twist her stomach as she remembered another time where he'd been playing farmer. The distinct feeling of foreboding settled in her, telling her that this wouldn't be as easy as it sounded. 'Ya think?', she asked herself, her mind doing a pretty good imitation of his best sarcasm dripping voice.

"Carter?"

Other Jack nudged her gently and she shook herself out of her musings. She hadn't even noticed how far they must have walked. The cobblestones had turned to gravel and the trees had thinned. They were standing in front of a small house that reminded her of Jack's former home in Colorado Springs. It was built of dark wood and natural stones that formed the L-shaped house with huge floor-to-ceiling windows lining one side.

She felt Other Jack's wary eyes watching her and she straightened her shoulders and took one last deep breath before they climbed the few steps leading to the door. With one last effort, she knocked.

--- --- TBC --- ---