Sorry for the longer-than-usual wait for this new chapter - I was away for a week in the Highlands of Scotland. Nice place to visit, especially Loch Ness. Anyway, here's the next part. Thanks to the great reviewers.

Note to Stoko: since I started the fic, I've seen all of seasons 6 and 7, but not 8 so far. If what you're referring to is to do with the end of Season 7, I think I know what you mean. Whatever happens beyond that in Season 8 is unknown to me. If Carter's dialogue in the last chapter contradicts something that happens in the programme, this is why. Oops - I'll just have attribute it to differences in the technology to save myself from shame LOL. Thanks for being a consistent reviewer!

Note to Tatsu-ZZmage: glad to hear you like the ideas and basis. As you say, making up technology is tricky. I'm no expert on science - I only studied it to compulsory secondary education level - so I just tried to invent something that sounded half-believable, and crystal-based technology is used by the Goa'uld. I imagined some kind of variation on that. I wasn't sure how plausable it would really be. Anyway, thanks for the comments!

Chapter 21: The Best Laid Plans…

Sam jerked away from the Innarim, almost in indignation: "You knew? All this time and you already knew?"

"All Innarim know," he shrugged as best he could in restraints.

"But… but doesn't it bother you? That you're created for a specific purpose beyond your own control? A means to an end rather than an end in itself."

"Not really, Sam," Einar said. "We never really saw it that way. I always found it comforting to know that. Humans spend a lot of time worrying about the meaning of life and what the grand purpose is – we don't have that. We've always known exactly what we're supposed to do. Life is more straightforward for an Innarim."

"If the Hakonans created you, then they decided that purpose for you," Sam insisted. "It would never be your choice."

"No," Einar shook his head firmly. "The Hakonans respected us as equals, and Innarim lived alongside them. ALL Innarim could choose whether or not to fight the Goa'uld. The Hakonans let us choose that for ourselves, and we could stop at any time we wished. We weren't slaves…"

Einar yawned wearily.

"What about the programming? You do know all Innarim are genetically programmed to die after 1000 years, right?"

"Everything dies," he replied, drifting slowly back towards sleep. "Do you resent the Universe for allowing humans to evolve to their current state as mortal creatures? Our mortality simply makes us more alive, as much like you, as possible."

"It still doesn't seem right, somehow," Sam sighed. "Would the Hakonans really create something if it can so easily turn to doing something completely different from its actual purpose?"

"You dug out an iced-over DHD using a combat knife in Antarctica. I'm sure it wasn't designed for that."

"I suppose," she conceded, then frowned. "Why did the Colonel tell you about Antarctica?"

There was no answer.

The Innarim had fallen back into his exhausted sleep.


General Hammond strode into Major Carter's lab, finding the soldier-scientist running a hesitant eye over the Vapenvulv bracers removed from Einar/Jack while they stayed in the infirmary. Sam was as eager as ever to look at new technology, but didn't think Einar would be too happy about it, particularly after he had made it clear he wasn't willing to pass on more information just before the two of them gated out to escape the NID. Yet, she remembered something he had said later: Why not? If we're going to be relying on each other…

The General cleared his throat, and Sam jumped to attention.

"Sir."

Hammond waved at her to stand at ease, "Any progress here?"

"Not much, sir. I know basically how this technology works and what it does, but not enough to completely understand these things," she gestured to the Vapenvulv. "Any word from the Pentagon, sir?"

"Yes, they've authorised a rescue mission," Hammond said. "However, since the technology is the best bet we've come across so far for advanced weapons and shields, they've made it clear only non-lethal weapons are to be used. They want us to avoid annoying them too much, so we've got a better chance of negotiating later."

"I think they're way past annoyed, sir," Sam commented.

"I noticed, but we can't just turn Einar over to them – not while Jack's still in there too. Even if he wasn't, I don't know enough about these other survivors to send him there. They seemed a little too eager to have Einar back."

"Maybe they just don't like leaving their own behind?" Sam suggested.

"Probably," the General replied. "Thor put forward that they're like the Tok'ra - they're relatively few in number. Without the Hakonans, more aren't being created. With a zero-to-negative population growth, they need all the Innarim they have left. Dr. Fraiser tells me that he's still unconscious."

"The only time I've seen him awake, he fell asleep before I could tell him anything about Stoneheim. So, what weapons can the rescue team take? Zats won't work against kurstallis shields. That just leaves tranquiliser darts."

"That's all I'm authorising. We do have another problem – the gate at Stoneheim is guarded by Innarim. Anyone going through would be taken out immediately, and with a broken MALP we have no way of detecting where they're standing, to fire from this side of the wormhole."

"They'll just shoot any other MALPs we send through, right?"

Hammond nodded. Sam rubbed her eyes in pensiveness, before looking down at the Vapenvulv again. Slowly, she picked up one of the bracers, turning it over as a smile crept across her face.

"Sir, I have an idea about that."


As the Stoneheim gate activated, the two Innarim warriors stood ready, brandishing their Hakonan staffs in readiness. After a mere minute or so, Teal'c appeared through the event horizon, a dart gun in his grip. However, he also wore the Vapenvulv bracers. As the gate guards fired, the blue bolts were absorbed by the shielding built into the devices.

Teal'c fired off a dart each at the two Innarim. The small projectiles passed unhindered through the invisible kurstallis shields, and the creatures quickly succumbed to the sleeping drugs.

"General, I have secured the Stargate," Teal'c spoke into the radio.

"Well done, Teal'c, stand by."

SG-5 along with Sam, all kitted out with dart guns, followed through the gate. Sam held the end of her gun in the event horizon to hold it open.

"We're all through, sir."

"You know you're objectives, Major," General Hammond said via the radio link. "Secure the lab and get Colonel O'Neill. Thor will be monitoring from orbit, and you can contact him with the Asgard stone you have with you. Then find SG-9 and the scientists."


The rocky path to the lab was strangely unguarded. Some of SG-5 had commented on the possibility of a trap, until they arrived at a ridge overlooking the cave entrance leading to the Hakonan structure. Several Innarim milled about down by the entrance. Clearly they were complacent, sure that the guards at the gate could deal with mere humans, by only posting guards here and having no patrols along the way.

The warriors below were easily subdued, taken by surprise by the darts. Sam led the way for the others, heading through the tunnel in the rock and into the lab itself. Papers and equipment was scattered about the place, some of which she recognised as belonging to Daniel – pages of notes, his glasses, and a camcorder perched on a console. She was reminded of the video feed from the MALP, with Daniel kneeling down at the mercy of Haldor, and felt a rush or urgency to carry on with the mission as quickly as possible.

On the far wall, just as she last remembered, was the stasis cell containing Jack. At least, the empty shell of Jack. Nevertheless, it felt good to see his face after three months. She deactivated the cell and after a few minutes of defrosting, hauled the mindless body out with Teal'c's help. The Colonel was shivering, presumably a purely physical reaction to the cold stasis. With her free hand, she fished the stone out of her hand and tweaked the controls on it.

"Major Carter, I am reading your signal. I am detecting that O'Neill is out of stasis."

"He is, Thor," she confirmed. "It should be safe to beam him up to your ship."

Without further delay, the heavy weight of the Colonel was lifted from Teal'c and her shoulders in a searing white glare.

"I will attempt the transfer now. Please stand by."

There was silence as each soldier pointed their weapons out of the doorway, with a clear view down the corridor to the open air outside. The two minutes that followed seemed to pass agonisingly slow. Sam knew that even though there were no patrols, the guards would be relieved at some point by other Innarim – they had no idea how long they had until that occurred.

"Major, the process was successful. Both O'Neill and Einar are weak but conscious. I have also detected traces of an underground facility east of your position. I will now transport up the rest of you."

Teal'c was sporting a slight smile, which Sam mirrored. At long last, each of the two minds was now back in the right body. Problem finally solved. Thor would beam them up, scan for Daniel, SG-9 and the scientists, and take them back to Earth.

Yet, nothing more had happened.

"Thor, what's happening?"

"There is………jamming signal blocking…transport beam……cannot……will return …Earth………you must…the Stargate…return home…"

The signal dropped out completely. Sam grunted anxiously, attempting vainly to regain contact. She tucked the stone back into her BDU pocket in defeat.

"From what I can tell from Thor, the transport beam is being jammed. The only way back is through the Stargate. We'll have to find the others and backtrack to the gate."

"If the Innarim have activated a jamming signal, then they are aware of our presence," Teal'c observed. "It will be more difficult to proceed."

Sam nodded in agreement: "We'll have to scout around the area east of here to find this facility. It has to be where Daniel and the others are."


At the SGC, Hammond entered the briefing room, upon the request of an emergency meeting from Dr. Fraiser and Thor. He found the two of them already there, as well as Jack and Einar, both finally restored to their respective bodies. Hammond hesitated, this being the first occasion he had see the Innarim awake.

Both Einar and Jack were sitting with their heads resting on their crossed arms, both having what looked like a glaring contest. They regarded each other strangely. Yet, when he entered the room, they stopped and stood up along with Dr. Fraiser. He gestured for them to sit.

"Thor, as glad as I am to see these two back as they should be, where are Major Carter, Teal'c and SG-5? Not to mention SG-9, Dr. Jackson and the rest of the scientists? Is this what the emergency meeting is about?"

"Yes, General Hammond," the grey alien nodded solemnly. "Before I could transport the others to the ship, the other Innarim must have realised something was happening. They activated a-"

"What!"

"What other Innarim?"

Jack and Einar sat upright sharply, eyes wide. Hammond looked between Janet and Thor, "These two still don't know?"

"We returned here immediately and requested this meeting. Thus far there has been no time," Thor explained.

"Apparently there are an undetermined number of other Innarim who survived the Goa'uld attacks," Hammond said.

"What!" he pair barked simultaneously.

"They're on Stoneheim, but they ran into SG-9 and there was some misunderstanding. The Innarim have SG-9, Dr. Jackson and a team of scientists captive. One of them, who calls himself Haldor, demanded we turn Einar over. They think we've taken Einar prisoner."

"For cryin' out loud!" they exclaimed in unison, earning looks from the others present.

"Stop that," Jack growled at the Innarim.

"Major Carter, Teal'c and SG-5 went through to Stoneheim to get you out of stasis, and Thor transported you out so you could be transferred back. The plan was to beam out any more of our people still on the planet. What's happening, Thor?"

"The Innarim must have activated some kind of jamming signal when they realised someone had come through the Stargate without being apprehended. I was unable to transport anyone to or from the surface, and it interfered with communications," the Asgard said. "I returned O'Neill and Einar here, and came to inform you of the situation. With the signal active, I could be of very little help in orbit."

"The team have GDOs," Hammond reminded. "If and when they recover SG-9 and the others, they can use the Stargate to get back."

"Well, yeah," Jack tapped his fingers nervously on the table, "they can gate home, sir, but if the Innarim know they're there, they'll be looking for them!"

"All SG personnel are the best of the best, Colonel, remember?"

"They're part wolf, General," Jack retorted. "They can hear or smell humans from much further than we can see them. They'll find them easily! We have to do something, sir."

"I can't risk sending more people if it's as dangerous as you say," Hammond stated. "The Innarim view us as an enemy."

"Perhaps I can convince them otherwise?" Einar cut in calmly. "They might listen to another Innarim. After all, they demanded me back."


Light years away, Jack's prediction was proving bitterly true. Out of the rocky terrain, each member of SG-5 was knocked into unconsciousness by a blast of blue energy, followed by Sam herself. Teal'c spun about, eyes scanning for any sign of their assailants. No weapons were fired at him - the Innarim realised this time it would prove pointless. Instead the strong Jaffa went down under weight of two of the fierce creatures as they pounced at him from the ledges above.