A/N: Hello all. I know there was a slight delay, but as the due date for my thesis approaches (7 October – not far now), I need to be spending more time working on it!
Thank you for all your reviews… the last chapter was a bit of a struggle so I'm glad it was well received! Thanks especially to those who hadn't reviewed in a while (Natters and Questionablelight)… it was really good to know you hadn't abandoned me or anything! Oh and to Jess O'Neill-SGC: keep reading, for I may find a way to include your suggestion in the future…(but please keep reading anyway…)

You should all know that Baal is by FAR my favourite baddie from the show – I just think he's so camp! I hope that comes through in this chapter!
Ok, on with the show… tongue firmly in cheek with this title:

Chapter XIV – Divine intervention

Jack's eyes were wide with disbelief. There, standing in front of him, was a holographic image of Baal, who looked decidedly pleased with himself. The turmoil going through his mind as he looked at the being who had caused him so much pain was almost impossible to bear. He wanted to kill the false-god, he wanted to run away, he wanted to scream. Instead, all he could do was stare, trying to concentrate on his breathing, which had become laboured in the face of the situation. He looked briefly to Sam, who was looking just as shocked as he was, but seemed more concerned about him. He felt her thumb move up and down slightly, stroking his arm in reassurance, and was grateful for the gesture. They both returned their attention to the powerful system lord standing behind them, unsure of what to do next.

"Ah. Now you respect the strength of the go'auld." Baal was grinning from ear to ear, his eyes manically wide as he revelled in the effect he was having on the two foremost members of SG1.

Hearing the patronising, condescending, and arrogant voice that he had grown to despise so much, Jack realised something. The extent to which he hated Baal could not be underestimated. He had had nightmare upon nightmare about his torture, and what he dreaded more than almost anything else was to be in that position again. The current situation, though, was different. He was no longer petrified by Baal – and it wasn't just because they were essentially untouchable in the cavern. Instead, Jack realised that he now viewed the pompous system lord the same way the said system lord had always viewed him – with disdain; as if he were a bug in need of squashing, an annoyance. Rolling his eyes at what the false-god had said, Jack chanced a quick grin at Sam before swivelling around to face his former tormentor.

"Baal, my man!" Jack's voice was a bit uncertain and rusty at first, but he quickly found some force. "Long time no see! How's Lord Yu?" The innocent expression on his face was designed to enrage Baal. To Jack's satisfaction, he saw the goa'uld grimace at the mention of Yu. He didn't wait for an answer. "So what's with the hologram thing? Problem with your transportation? Hm? Can't just ring down here?"

Baal's eyes half-closed so they were only open a sliver and he pursed his lips in a ferocious scowl. "You would do well not to disrespect me, O'Neill. I can kill you many times over."

"Yeah yeah… been there – done that." Jack rolled his eyes, although he nonetheless felt a jolt of pain wash through him at the mention of his experience. Again he felt Sam's hand on his arm, squeezing it slightly in support. He couldn't have been more grateful if she'd offered to take care of all his paperwork. "I escaped, remember?" He teased Baal, recovering his spirits. "Little flaw in your plan, eh?"

"Next time you will not be so… fortunate." Baal was fighting to keep control of his own emotions as well. The anger boiling inside him was not going to be contained for much longer, but he successfully fought it for the time being. "However, I am here to negotiate the transport of the naquada to my vessel. You will give it to me."

Sam swivelled around so she was again sitting side-by-side to Jack, and looked at Baal. She kept close to the man next to her, suspicious that his sarcastic exterior was probably masking a deeper battle within.

"What makes you think we'd agree to give anything to you – let alone to that!" she asked coolly, her eyes boring daggers into the holographic image.

Baal looked around the cavern, seemingly in contemplative thought, before casting his eyes downwards to meet hers. "Because I'll promise not to destroy this wretched planet."

"Yeah knock yourself out - I'd like to see you try!" Jack snorted. He realised this was a dangerous game of bluff, but couldn't afford to lose any ground.

"You doubt me, O'Neill?" Baal raised one eyebrow and cocked his head slightly, in apparent amusement. "I have a vast fleet waiting to attack in orbit as we speak."

At this moment, the Tok'ra communicator, which had remained silent as Teal'c listened in to what was going on, once again transmitted the Jaffa's deep voice. "O'Neill," Jack was satisfied at the shocked expression that crossed over Baal's face upon hearing the voice.

"Yeah T, go ahead." Jack spoke into the device with nonchalance, as if Baal's presence didn't worry him at all.

"We have established that in fact there is but one vessel currently in orbit of Earth – a small cargo vessel, in the vicinity of your moon."

Jack let his hand holding the device hang limply in mid air as he looked at Baal with a sly grin on his face. "So, a fleet eh?" He was pleased to see Baal looked quite taken aback at being caught out. "Sounds more like you've got a toy spaceship out there – I think we're safe." He dramatically half-whispered the last words, over-emphasising the syllables.

Baal quickly redressed himself and puffed his chest up in an attempt to hide his inadequacies. "My fleet may not have arrived, but believe me – I am capable of ripping this world of yours to shreds."

"Yeah well, forgive me if I don't shiver in my boots – your wobbly highness." Jack threw his arms up in mock defence as Baal's image wavered slightly in the cavern.

Baal's attention was drawn away from the two people in front of him when he perceived a slight movement coming from the other side of the forceshield behind them. Turramulli was stirring. As he realised what must have happened, he narcissistic smile reappeared on his obnoxious face.

"You may yet give me what I want willingly." He nodded in the direction of the monster. "In your supreme ignorance, you have awoken the legendary Turramulli. I have the means to defeat him."

Jack couldn't stop himself from looking around at the hairy beast behind them, but turned to face Baal quickly. "You know what? We're ok. Thanks so much for stopping by… but now I think you can – and Carter, correct me if I get this usage wrong – now you can bugger off."

"Oh yes?" Baal was not deterred by the sarcasm being shot at him by Jack. "Then why is it that you have not transported your injured out of here?"

Jack was stumped for a minute, and forced to stop to find a suitably snappy answer. Sam bought him some time as she decided to change tack and fish for information.

"Well, how were you planning on getting the naquada out of here?" she tried to mimic Jack's derisive tone, but only managed to sound hostile. "It's impossible for the go'auld to get in."

"Oh but I know, Major Carter." Baal nodded in her direction like a bored schoolteacher explaining something of supreme simplicity to a slow student. "But then by all rights, you shouldn't be in here either…" He pointed to Jack. "You, however, I am told, represent – what were the words – a step forward in human evolution?" He laughed as if this was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard in his life. "Much as I find that… difficult… to believe, it is rather fortuitous – for you will do my bidding."

"I…. don't think so." Jack had recovered enough from the momentary set back in this battle of wills. He was now leaning back on the palms of his hands while sitting in a relaxed posture on the ground. The sheer ridiculousness of what Baal was saying had removed most of the fear from the situation. "We tried that once before, remember? I didn't give you squat."

Baal didn't seem phased by the resistance he was facing. Instead he laughed sardonically at them and shook his head in amusement. "We'll see." The words had barely left his mouth when the image started disintegrating and he disappeared from the cavern, leaving Sam and Jack to contemplate this additional complication to their mission.

"Ok," the second Baal had disappeared, Jack had started shaking. "How the HELL did he know about all that?" He was caught half-way between shock, rage, and sheer terror. The effort of staying on top of the witticisms had taken their toll.

"I don't know." Physically, Sam was as close as she could get to Jack, but her expression told of how far away she was. "He said he was told about you… knowing about this cavern… knowing that he wouldn't be able to penetrate the Ancient and Asgard defences…" Suddenly she sat bolt upright and looked to Jack next to her. "Anubis?"

Jack had been watching Sam's face carefully as her powerful brain ran through all the possibilities. The word 'Anubis' had not been one of the answers he'd been expecting. "Huh?" he looked at her confused. "But that was Baal…"

"Yes sir, but think about it." The more Sam thought about it – and in spite of the lingering questions – the more it seemed the only possibility. "At the summit of the System Lords, Baal supported Anubis' return to the fold; and you have to admit he became a force to be reckoned with pretty quickly…" she shrugged slightly, hoping the connection she was making was viable.

"So he's working for Anubis?" Jack felt like there were rocks in his head, it was that difficult to comprehend what Sam was saying. "That can't be good for his over-inflated ego…" he mused to himself, before again grasping the problem at hand. "What's that got to do with me being able to do all this?" He cast his eye around the enduring aqua glow over the walls and doorways of the cavern.

"I don't know." It wasn't often Sam found herself saying those words, let alone twice in a matter of minutes. The fact wasn't lost on Jack, and she saw him crack a weak smile, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. "But even if he's not directly working for Anubis, I think he's at least subordinated to him – that's the best explanation for how he was getting this information. There's so much we don't know about Anubis…"

"We need to get outta here." Jack stood up purposefully and stretched, trying to ignore the persistent shaking which remained in his legs.

It didn't matter how many times it happened, but General Hammond could just never get used to the idea that Thor could beam into his office at will. As the alien appeared out of no where, the General felt himself almost jump a foot into the air and yelp inelegantly with the shock. It didn't help that he'd been particularly engrossed in administrative papers that were threatening to drown him.

"I apologise if I started you, General Hammond." Thor inclined his disproportionably large head slightly. "I forget that you are not accustomed to such means of transport and communication."

Hammond felt his heartbeat slow and took a few deep breaths in an effort to further calm himself down. "Not at all Thor," he replied amiably. "I'm glad to see you're yourself again." He pushed the papers in front of him into a pile on the edge of the desk and laid his hands on the table. "I take it you received our messages?"

Thor walked gingerly towards the chair in front of the General's desk and perched himself carefully on the edge. "Indeed we have, and I apologise for the time it has taken us to respond." He bowed his head slightly. "Our battle with the replicators is unfortunately persistent, and we have not generally the time to abandon the fight."

"We appreciate that Thor," General Hammond nodded, his expression serious. "However I think you will agree that in this case it was necessary we inform you of the developments taking place."

"Yes General. The Asgard thanks you for notifying us of your discovery – especially of our ancestor, and my good friend, Fodor. His existence had not been forgotten, but his whereabouts had been buried in the shifting sands of mythology and legend." The grey figure shook his head sadly. "So much has been lost in our recent conflict. From the disappearance of the Ancients to the current replicator threat, it has been increasingly difficult for us to monitor our interests across the galaxy."

General Hammond looked at the Supreme High Commander and was suddenly filled with compassion. Even an advanced race such as the Asgard could not escape the mundane problems that befall all life-forms. "How much can you tell us of Turramulli's cave?" he asked frankly.

"I'm afraid there is not much information remaining, and most of that is mere conjecture." Thor held his hand out and in a flash of white light a small CD-like device appeared in his hand. "This is the extent of our knowledge of the legend concerning Turramulli the banished, and the store of Naquada." He placed the disc on the desk in front of him. "I am informed that this medium of data storage is compatible with your computer systems – it was created with your technology in mind."

General Hammond took the disc and saw that it in fact looked to be an ordinary CD. He nodded in thanks to Thor, but steeled himself at the same time for the problem he had to present to the Commander. "There is something else…" He clasped his hands together on the desk and leaned forward a bit more to look Thor straight in the eye. "Although Colonel O'Neill has been able to enter Turramulli's cave successfully, he has not yet discovered how to leave the cavern. Fodor is injured, and we desperately wish to help him – but we need to know how to get out."

Thor nodded briefly, indicating that this was not in fact news to him. "The design of Turramulli's cave is a hybrid system conceived to prevent access by the goa'uld. As an additional safety measure, it was decided that only the Ancients could access and operate the technology within." He saw General Hammond prepare to ask why Jack was able to interact with the cavern, but stopped him. "What is important, is that I cannot access the cavern; nor do I have the required knowledge to share with O'Neill. I am afraid I cannot come to his assistance."

General Hammond nodded, suspicious that Thor wasn't telling him something. "And Fodor?" he asked. "Could he be of use?"

"Yes. Assuming Fodor recovers enough to be able to, he could effectively guide Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter out of the cavern safely."

One more persistent concern weighed on the General's mind. "And Turramulli?"

At this, Thor hesitated before answering – either through uncertainty or the desire not to reveal something. When he finally answered, General Hammond decided it was the former. For the first time ever, he saw a flicker of fear in the alien's normally nondescript features. "You must understand, General, that Turramulli was… is… a creature that neither the Ancients, nor my ancestors could definitively vanquish." He dipped his grey head slightly. "It is believed that banishment to this cave was the only way to neutralise the threat." He looked back up to the man sitting opposite him. "But my knowledge is very limited – again, I believe you must refer to Fodor."

The phone on the desk rang at that point, and Thor waited patiently while General Hammond took the call. The expression on his face as he listened into the receiver was not encouraging, as the alien perceived all the colour seemingly drain from his normally pinkish face.

When Hammond put the phone down, he paused for a moment to collect his thoughts, his breath wavering as he tried to understand what was going on. "It appears the goa'uld have also discovered the legend of Turramulli." He said slowly, trying to remain calm. "Baal is in orbit and has just had a lengthy conversation with Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter using a holographic communication mechanism not unlike the technology you possess."

The General had been looking at his hands while he relayed the information to Thor, but looked up as he caught a flash of light out of the corner of his eye. Thor had disappeared.

TBC

A/N: Ok. So now I've got all the players set! Let's see: SGC personnel, check. Australian armed forces, check (minus a General who will arrive soon). Locals and tourists at Uluru, check. Couple all that with Turramulli, Fodor, Baal and Thor – and jeez you understand why it's taken me this many chapters to get this far!

Couple of things I wanna clarify: I've been checking on the timeline with Arrant Schemata and BookWorm's help (thanks guys!) and this is what I've got.
1. SG1 didn't know about Anubis being half-ascended yet.
2. Baal wasn't really in Anubis' service, but it's my opnion that he was definitely under his thumb to a certain extent(pragmatic as he is).
3. Anubis already has all the Asgard knowledge from the end of season 5, thus the beaming technology – but I've got a twist out of that coming up soon. Hmmm. Anything else? Oh yeah.
4. Thor's consciousness had been recovered by SG1 just before Abyss (this fic takes place just after that ep) so this is the first time they see him since his recovery.
Basically keep in mind that we know more about all this ancient business than SG1 does, so for them there are lots of questions but not many answers… but they'll still have to find a way to act.

I'm not going to outwardly second-guess my work (take note BookWorm), but I am going to ask what you thought of my little Baal-Jack exchange… it was a little tricky to write, despite the fun I had! So please review!