------P3X-454, Redwood Forest, afternoon ------
The journey from rocky outcropping to evergreen forest had been silent and tense for each member of SG-1. Loam scented mist obscured their passage from any prying eyes and forced them into a tighter march than normal. Carter and Daniel had relaxed enough to chat about the temple they'd just left, but even their friendly banter was carried out in hushed tones. O'Neill felt it hanging over him as weighty and pendulous as the car-sized boughs of redwood they now found themselves walking under. He scowled into the sun dappled gloom, his every instinct demanding that he lead his team directly back to the gate and out of danger.
"We appear to be headed in an opposite direction from the Chaapa'ai, O'Neill." Teal'c's voice rumbled softly at his side.
O'Neill cast the larger man a sidelong glance and nodded once. He noticed the Jaffa lift an eyebrow in surprise, but remain otherwise silent. Teal'c would never question an order if he didn't feel it valid, and Jack was constantly stymied as well as honored by the trust his alien friend so freely gave.
"I feel I must apologize for my actions this morning." Teal'c mumbled, his eyes downcast in shame.
"What on earth for?" Jack blinked in surprise.
"I allowed tales from my childhood to influence my reactions upon sight of the Hem ka." Teal'c continued in the manner of one confessing his sins to a priest "This is not the Jaffa way, not the way of a warrior."
O'Neill smiled ruefully "Teal'c, just because Apophis gave you junior's little hidey hole doesn't make you any less flesh and blood. As long as we're being honest here, the idea of some crocodile armor wearing goon munching on my liver gives me the creeps too."
"Master Brea'tak once told me that fear was a weapon of the enemy, yet it could only prove effective if one allowed it to be so. If you intend to face the Hem ka, I shall fight by your side as a friend and a warrior, O'Neill" Teal'c stated evenly.
"I won't be facing them by choice," Jack focused his attention back out into the forest "but the Goa'uld are here for a reason, and I think we'd be foolish if we didn't try to figure out why. Daniel thinks it has something to do with the temple we explored and that woman who attacked Sobe's boys."
"He may be right, sir." Carter noted from the Colonel's shoulder.
"I am?" the young archeologist's distracted voice sounded from behind O'Neill's back.
Jack looked around in surprise and thinly veiled irritation "For crying out loud, can't I have a private conversation around here? I mean there's only about one billion acres of unoccupied territory around us."
Daniel looked at him quizzically "But, you told us all to stay close because of the fog."
Carter grinned and shook her head "Sorry Colonel, but Daniel has a point. You did order us to stay close, and this is currently the safest acreage around."
O'Neill quirked one of his salt and pepper eyebrows in terse bemusement "And your point would be, Major?"
Sam's smile evaporated quickly "Sorry sir. I thought you should know that Daniel and I have compared some notes and we have a working theory on what's been going on."
"Ok." O'Neill signaled a stop and let his pack drop from his shoulders "I think we're far enough from the ruins now to have a little discussion. Let's hear what makes this world such prime real estate, other than its charming parklands and rustic appeal."
"I think I had better go first." Daniel mumbled as he too dislodged his backpack "With Sam's help I've been able to put my partial translation it into actual relevant context. As near as I can tell this world was used as a meeting place between the Ancients and another race they refer to as Lords of Time."
"As in time travel?" O'Neill asked, suddenly leery.
Daniel nodded, also recalling the time loop Jack and Teal'c found themselves in a couple of months ago "Yes, from our recent findings, we know the Ancients were unsuccessfully experimenting with time travel. After their failure on P4X-639, they apparently made contact with a race of beings that had not only conquered time, but were actively traveling through it."
"There was a catch though." Carter chipped in.
"Only one?" O'Neill quipped.
Carter smirked and continued on "The process required tremendous amounts of energy and these Time Lords were having difficulty locating enough resources to keep their machines going. Enter the Ancients and their knowledge of extra-dimensional power sources."
As if on queue, Daniel resumed the explanation "There was some kind of treaty made and in good faith the Time Lords exchanged their blueprints for the Ancient's unlimited power supply."
"Are you telling me there's a blueprint to some kind of time machine in those ruins?" Jack fought to keep his jaw from dropping.
"Not quite," Daniel replied "but I found something that could be just as dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands. Due to some unforeseen fluke, the Ancients weren't able to place a working Stargate on the Time Lords' home world, and had to either fly there by ship or meet them here. By mutual agreement, coordinates to the planet were never published, and the Ancients simply used encrypted maps or a series of clues to find their way. One of those clues is here."
Carter looked at her superior officer, pleading with him to understand "Sir, the energy source Daniel is describing to you would make our naqada generator look like a mule cart sitting next to a Lamborghini. If a Goa'uld ever obtained something like that, they'd be unstoppable and earth would be nothing more than a speed bump. That's what the Jaffa were searching for. They weren't looking for us; they were looking for the Ancients' power source."
"And the fact that they even know about it means one of them reads Ancient or Time Lord." Daniel added.
"What does this have to do with the female who attacked the Hem ka?" Teal'c asked "Is it possible she is an Ancient?"
"I don't think so." Daniel shook his head "We've been told they left this galaxy a long time ago. I think it's more likely she's one of these Time Lords I read about."
"I agree." Carter reached into her utility vest and fished out the meter she had been using earlier that morning "I picked up another energy signature when you ordered me to focus in on Sobk's Jaffa. It was coming from the direction of the ruins, and emitting a series of constant pulses like a homing beacon. We probably triggered it when we made camp there last night. Colonel, we should consider mounting a rescue attempt if she's still alive."
"Alright," Jack said after a moment's hesitation "I've heard enough." He squatted down and began to sketch a rough map in the soil "The Stargate is in this direction, and I'm guessing Sobe's boys have set up shop nearby. Once we've located their base, I want Teal'c and Daniel to split off and check out the gate. You need to find out how many Jaffa are guarding it, and how often those guards report or are replaced. Carter, you and I are going into the camp. Our mission is to locate Jane Doe Time Lord and see if she's still alive. We need to figure out if she is what we think she is, and see what we'll be up against if we can free her." He paused for a moment to look up and meet the eyes of each person surrounding him "This is covert ops. Do not, I repeat do not engage the enemy unless your life is in danger. If, and right now it's a pretty big if, we attempt a rescue; we're going to need every magazine and every zat we brought with us. Any questions?"