Chapter 9 Investigations

Teal'c lay dead on the medical table. The gaping hole in his chest let his life force drain out of him. The force of the assassin's bullet sent the object clear through his body. Frantically, the Commonwealth doctors raced to save him. Unfortunately, a captured sarcophagus was too far away on a planet in the Commonwealth itself. They needed a Stargate to get there.

Transportation was a problem. Teal'c needed to be put in stasis and rushed to the sarcophagus. For that extreme measure, the medical staff needed Lady Anna's permission. However, she was not ready to reveal to her opposition that she was on Earth. Her defense plans were not completely online and would not be for a few months. But the doctors contacted her anyway.

A Goa'uld sarcophagus had extraordinary healing properties. It could detect life where no human instrument could. And it could fan the flame of life back to full measure. The Goa'uld System Lords used the sarcophagus for its rejuvenating life extending properties. To their followers, a System Lord appeared to be a god living for thousands of years.

To an uniformed observer, a sarcophagus seemed to resurrect the dead. O'Neill had been captured once and then tortured to death over and over, revived in Ba'al's sarcophagus. But the time from 'death' was a limiting factor as was brain damage. With enough repeated use, the downside was a terrible addiction that eventually robbed someone of his soul or less metaphysically, whatever made a person who he was. It was partly to blame for why the Goa'uld were as bad as they were. So Lady Anna decreed its use for extreme situations only. The doctors hoped against hope she would approve Teal'c's passage to one.

"My Lady, the doctors say Teal'c must be taken to the sarcophagus." The child-person aide waited for her instructions. He looked to be about 15 years old, but he was really 32 yrs old. People in the Commonwealth had learned to extend their own lives as long as 300 years. And they didn't need a sarcophagus to do it. O'Neill stood there hoping she would agree. One look at him and she made her decision for good or ill.

"Take him to the SGC and go through the Gate. My guards who take him should go to the planet Ariel, where the clan there is loyal to me. Afterwards, make sure his clothing is removed and the body cleaned. Then, send for guards from Daria. Let them take Teal'c to the planet Barela. Send for guards from the planet Larta to meet the body on Barela. Let them take the body to the sarcophagus. Tell the Larta guards to instruct Teal'c to return without mentioning where after he has washed his trail through several Stargates. Station spies on Daria and Larta to see who traces which route. I assume Teal'c knows to go to the Alpha Site if he has no GDO?" Anna looked to Jack for confirmation. He nodded yes.

Lady Anna knew that without such identification, the Iris protecting the Gate would not be opened. The traveler would die, never materializing on the other side. For those situations, the Alpha Site was used as an off-world military base for security purposes. Those things which should not be done on Earth, such as high-risk tests and other military operations, were centered there. Anna looked at O'Neill. His eyes spoke his gratitude. "Do not be so content My Lord General. This can still go badly." Everyone watched as the aide vanished.

"Ma'am, I don't know how to thank you."

O'Neill was still upset over the third assassination attempt on his life in three days. Carter and Daniel added their thanks and left to deal with the arriving District police officers. The Embassy lowered the force field protecting the building to permit the officers' entrance. Crowds grew on the street while traffic slowed to a crawl. Traffic cops arrived to direct the flow. The news media began broadcasts in front of the building. Right now, this minute, none of that mattered to Jack.

"Do not thank me yet, Jack." Anna used the familiar address since they were alone. "Too many things can conspire against us. Even if he reaches the sarcophagus, it may be too late or he may not return to us."

"Not return to us, how?" Jack saw her fear. "What?"

"My opposition could intercept him. I don't know what to say." Anna turned to look out the window so he could not see her face. "They may try to use him against us. Or they might kill him anyway. I am so sorry, Jack."

"For what?" He walked up to her to face her.

"You are a target because of me." Anna was perturbed and trying to control it.

"It's not your fault. I have enemies too." Jack really meant it. Air Force Intelligence at the SGC had briefed him. Jack knew about the increased likelihood of an attack on himself as well as her. The homicidal nut from the racist hate group last night was proof. "And there are plenty of people here who focus their fears at me. It goes with the territory."

"I should never have let you come back here with me. You were safe at home in the Commonwealth. No one there would dare touch you." Anna was deciding whether she should send him back. Jack saw it. Oh no, he thought. She could and she would.

"Anna, it's not my 'home' and you know it. It never will be. This is my home, on Earth." Jack meant it. But he could see she didn't care. "What?"

"Jack, maybe for a little while you should make a tour of my defenses here to familiarize yourself with what we have accomplished and make your own analysis before everything is complete. You know so much more about strategic defense than we do. Yes, I think it would be wise to send my Earth Force Advisor to make a fact-finding tour. Then you can make your recommendations. You would have been briefed here on Monday anyway." Anna turned to him ready to issue the order when he stopped her.

"What about you? I thought we agreed I am in charge of your Personal Guard. Who will protect you?" Jack was teasing her. She didn't understand him. Anna looked at him with regret.

"All the troops here are my Personal Guard. When I said you would be in command, I meant it." Jack's eyes showed some surprise. Why would she want him in charge of her forces? It was crazy, thought Jack. Anna gathered her thoughts and said, "now, I fear I must ask you to command my forces from our bases. Send to me whom you will as bodyguards, and I will be content." Anna thought some more. "For the sake of morale, call an assembly to show yourself. They will follow you anywhere." She gave him a rueful half-smile. "You are of course, O'Neill the Great."

"We go together, remember the deal?" He was kidding and yet not kidding. "Or have you forgotten the 'where you go I go' part?" What was he saying? He wanted his space and she had just given it to him. They had been together for three months non-stop. It was enough. And yet, something made him say that. Jack was confused.

"Thank you, Jack." Anna put her hand on his arm, "Jack, you must be safe so I can do what must be done."

"What? What are you going to do?" He became alarmed. "This was never about protecting you, was it?" Anna turned away and walked to her desk without answering. "Answer me. What are you going to do?"

"Jack, I would never forgive myself if something happened to you. Now, go do what you do best. Leave me to do what I do best." Anna reached for her console. He grabbed her hand.

"No." That's all he said. They looked carefully at each other testing the other's resolve. "We don't run and we don't hide."


"Again?" President Hayes couldn't believe his ears. The six o'clock news was on the set in the Oval Office. "It's Friday night. She's been here three evenings and had three assassination attempts either on her or on O'Neill or both. We look like barbarians, incompetent barbarians." No one had an answer. The fact that they were learning it on CNN was too much. "What happened to Teal'c?"

"Her guards came out and used the transporter. We presume they took Teal'c to give him medical care. It caused quite a stir. There are people out there picketing the Embassy. They are demanding the removal of the aliens." Jerry Wasserstein the White House Chief of Staff briefed the President. "The District police want to question O'Neill. But he is nowhere to be found. And they will not say where he is. In fact, they said they could take better care of him than all of us put together. And, this is the kicker, sir. She told her ambassador to say that the continuing disrespect to HER Lord General would not be tolerated. They gave us a formal protest to the way she has been received. And, they also gave us a more scathing protest to the way 'Lord General Jack O'Neill, the Great Soul' has been treated." He shook his head.

"This is out of control. I want to know everything is being done that can be done. I want the CIA and the FBI working overtime. Get every agent at the N.I.D. called up and have N.I.D. specially liaison with the military intelligence types and the civilian law enforcement agencies. Call in everyone who can help. Get them out of retirement if you have to. But call in every marker to find out who is behind this." Hayes knew he wasn't going to Camp David with anyone this weekend. "Tell the DCI at Headquarters that I want a briefing by tonight at 9 pm. We have to show them we can get our own house in order."

"Sir, we are also getting official protests from the Gate Alliance nations. And, sir, the U.N. is offering their Peacekeepers as bodyguards, not that we would let them. It's a media circus." Jerry knew he wasn't going home tonight. He had to call his wife. "And sir, you should call the Russian Ambassador. He is still shaken about his close call."


"Sonofabitch!" Robert Kinsey was in his hotel room freshening up before tonight's fundraising gala. Tonight, his party was raising 'bundled money.' Groups supporting both Democrats and Republicans have started "bundling" individual contributions, a practice that lets them collect checks now for next year's nominee. Then the party can pass the checks along to the campaign in amounts above the $5,000-per-candidate limit that applies to conventional PACs or Political Action Committees. The point is to circumvent Federal Election Contribution Limits. The event that evening would ultimately help one Robert Kinsey in his bid to get re-elected to the Senate.

"What did you say, dear? I had the door closed." Mrs. Kinsey came into the sitting room of the suite to see her husband beet red in the face. "Oh, yes. Isn't it too, too dreadful? That poor man has done so much for this country and people are trying to kill him. It certainly is a shame." She had no idea why her husband gave her that look and stomped into the bedroom, slamming the door. "Well, there's no point in getting that personally upset. I don't know what gets into that man, literally!"


Lady Anna had other plans. She didn't need anyone's permission either. So, Sam Carter, Cam Mitchell, and Daniel Jackson swung around realizing that they were not at the Embassy. All around them was the bustle of people working intently at their stations. "A ship?" Carter asked Daniel. He shrugged and looked around some more. No one seemed to pay them any attention. And there were many child-persons scurrying about. Some looked as young as 12 yrs old. The Team knew they were much older. Finally, someone seemed to notice and beckoned them to follow.

Sam pulled out her special Commonwealth provided cell phone and dialed General O'Neill. Surprisingly, he answered.

"Sir, are you alright?" Sam put the call on speakerphone so Daniel could hear too. "He's hungry." She whispered to Daniel who grinned at the statement. "Yes sir, I'm glad, sir. We were all worried. No, we are in some sort of Commonwealth command center. Where are you?" Sam put the call on speakerphone.

"I don't know where I am," Jack intoned. He had no windows to see out and could not use his GPS in his watch if he couldn't get outside. "The Lady came with me and left for a briefing. I asked the Computer to tell me but it responded that it could not comply. So I'm stuck wherever here is."

"Here is wherever you are," Daniel joked. To Mitchell he added, "It's an Oma Desala saying."

"Wherever you go, sir, there, you are." Mitchell chimed in after blowing his nose. His cold was getting worse. "That's a Buckaroo Banzai saying."

"Funny. I like funny. Put Sam on, please." Jack had enough. "Carter? What's going on? Anyone care to share?"

"Sir, the President is authorizing a manhunt of global proportions. Lady Anna has issued an ultimatum to the President to figure this out or she will do it for us. We are in a computer situation room. We hope her computers and other...'toys' can be interfaced with those at the National Security Agency." Carter winced at Jack's favorite description of Commonwealth hardware. NSA had the latest and greatest in Earth computing power. Folks in the government jokingly said NSA stood for 'No Such Agency,' because of all the secrecy around it. In reality, there were other agencies much more secret.

"Sir, at least Lady Anna could give the FBI the recording of the incident from the Embassy's security system. Otherwise, we don't know why we were sent here."

"I sent you there. But I think I want you and Mitchell here with me. I am going to ask her to send you along," Jack promised. "Lady Anna is up to something and I have to find out what. Do your best. I'll talk to her about the recording." He hung up. 'That woman was impossible,' thought Jack. 'When I get my hands on her, gaaaa!'

"Computer, how do I get dinner?"


Having sent Jack and the Team elsewhere, Lady Anna settled down to conduct her own affairs. She was none too pleased with the events of the last three days. Since arriving on Earth, one security breach after another jeopardized her life, O'Neill, and all her plans. She had a bone to pick with her resident Ambassador to Earth.

"Ambassador Aaron, please come in." Anna was in her regal mode. He knew he was in trouble now. "In view of the situation, we have decided to handle personally the matter of our security. However, you may continue your other duties in support of our efforts." Aaron sighed with relief. He was not going to be exiled for Lord O'Neill's near death. "But let us understand one another, My Lord. General O'Neill is not expendable. He is priceless to His Majesty and indeed to our whole people. If you cannot understand this fact, then we have come to the end of our association." She looked for signs of disagreement. There were none. "Good. Now here is what I want done."

For the next half an hour the pair worked on a plan to get the conspirators on Earth neutralized. "You understand that your Sabbath is forfeit to save lives?" He nodded.

"I am grateful that you allow me to redeem myself and my family, My Lady." The Ambassador really meant it. He was afraid to ask why she would keep him on. But he was curious, leaving a pregnant pause for an opening. He noticed she didn't respond. Instead, she dismissed him. As he left, the computer announced a call from the President. Anna thought about it and decided to speak with him. Her hologram appeared before him. The guards raised their guns, but were getting accustomed to holograms so they did not fire immediately.

"Yes, Mr. President?" Lady Anna appeared to be sitting in an ornate chair before him.

"Ma'am, thank you for accepting my call." Hayes couldn't resist the urge to pass his hand through her image. It just looked so real in three-D. She just gave him a look one gives young children and waited. "Right. I would like to extend my apologies to you, ma'am. I am so sorry for the way you have been treated here. And we want you to know we are doing everything we can to find the criminals who perpetrated this horrible assault. We have not lived up to your expectations. And for that I am truly sorry."

Anna simply waited patiently. This was another waste of her time, she thought. But, one has to deal with the locals eventually. He saw she wasn't giving an inch. He didn't blame her, now. "With your permission, I would like to ask you for your assistance to avert any future situations. Ma'am, I am hoping you have intelligence you could share with us about today's incident and anything else you would be kind enough to tell us." He waited. She took her time responding.

"I see. Even considering the methods of collecting information here, I believe you may have known about these attacks." Lady Anna knew they had been scanning communications traffic since she arrived. Some of her own network had tapped in but the analysis was not complete.

"Ma'am, we always assume that some disgruntled faction or mentally ill person is planning attacks on important people. We just did not think they had the assets in place yet. And we have not identified who they are, either." Hayes had to admit the limitations he faced.

"I see. Well, I thank you for being so direct. Lord O'Neill informs me that being direct is the only way to communicate here with you or anyone else. I have promised him to try. So forgive me for being blunt." Anna looked him over again. "We know about your efforts. In fact, we know a great deal about the situation on this world. However, we are not always able to interpret the data correctly since we do not understand the situation here entirely."

"I appreciate your candor and can sympathize with the problem, ma'am." Hayes knew she had intelligence assets here. It was perfectly obvious to anyone with half a brain. "We would welcome the opportunity to cooperate with your network and assist you in resolving this situation. For example it could help us if you would tell us why you did not know an assassin was after O'Neill? I mean with all your advanced technology, there had to be some indications, Ma'am."

"While we knew a conspiracy planned an attack, we interpreted the data to be directed towards me. We thought the conspiracy was part of our own opposition using your people to get at me. Since we want to expose such people and trace the instigators, we lowered our security to permit an approach." Anna observed the President's reaction. Yes, he understood she was making herself a target. "And we had no idea that by having Lord O'Neill with us, he would become the target of his own people. That lack of understanding is our own fault. We request a briefing to receive an explanation of the situation in all its particulars. In our society, only a heretic or a madman would consider assaulting Lord O'Neill."

'Heretic?' Hayes thought he would fall over. No one had considered that Lady Anna and her people revered O'Neill for religious reasons. 'All this time, she had used him for propaganda for religious purposes?' Religion was a powerful motivator if you want to fight a war. In fact, it was the most common reason to start one, just look at the Crusades and the centuries of conflict in Europe after the Reformation occurred. For almost 700 hundred years beginning around 1308, Europe struggled in conflicts and wars because of religion. This was dangerous territory.

"We had no idea. Um, thank you. He is important to us too."

'Yeah, he's important now, baby,' thought Hayes. 'For only a yahoo two-star general, he just became the focus of interstellar politics. By the way he acts towards her and everyone else, he has no idea. Wow.'

"Ma'am, where is General O'Neill? I need to know he is well. And I would like to ask what happened to Teal'c." He wanted her to produce the general.

Lady Anna couldn't believe the question. "Sir, let's not play games here. Teal'c was sent to a sarcophagus in the Commonwealth. We shall not know if he lives before he returns. O'Neill is fine or we would not be speaking. You can call him on his communicator. What we should be discussing is how we shall cooperate on this matter. Be assured that Lord O'Neill is working on the problem with us. His staff has been dispatched to our analysis center. And he has asked us to give your police a recording of the incident. Now, how do you want to proceed?"

Hayes thought about the offer. Interesting that she would not produce O'Neill. However, his special cell phone number was known and seemed to work anywhere. Fine, she left communications to O'Neill open.

"Ma'am, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your extreme courtesy to us. I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for helping Teal'c. You have always been kind and generous to our people both here and under your supervision abroad. Thank you for the offer of the recording. Please send the recording to the Directors of the FBI and the CIA. Ma'am, will you permit them to send specialists to examine the embassy building as it pertains to the shooting?"

Anna gave her consent. This was the first time he acknowledged her benevolence toward all the Earth Force people in her care. And it was long overdue, too.

"Ma'am, I am wondering if you would permit another liaison officer to work with your honored self?"

"We both understand that many people on Earth think that they would have better access to me without Lord O'Neill. No doubt, that is the primary reason he is a target by so many entities. So, to be clear, as Our Lord General puts it so often, here's the deal. As long as Lord O'Neill is alive and available to me as my Earth Force Advisor, I keep him as my gatekeeper. I have no intention of allowing over 250 little territories access to me with their selfish agendas."

"If something unfortunate happens to the Great Man, then, you will appoint his replacement. But, I reserve the right to approve him. And before I do, I shall want to know exactly who did it and why. You will relate to me all the pertinent facts concerning his demise. Then for the next two hundred years or so, I shall deal only with representatives appointed by the President of the United States."

Lady Anna saw the shock on the President's face. Hayes looked at her and blinked. Slowly, the wheels began turning. 'Yes, she could live another two hundred years. And she would have a long memory.' Before he could interrupt, The Lady continued.

"If I should not survive this expedition, then good luck ever getting anything from my people. What I told you yesterday is true. With the exception of Lord O'Neill and his warriors, your world is too far and too backward to be of any interest. We left a long time ago. So other than some scholarly curiosity, you don't have anything significant we want. And no one else in my society has either the resources or the desire necessary to advance this planet." Lady Anna drew in her breath and paused for effect. "To be exquisitely blunt and to use one of Lord O'Neill's expressions, I am the only member of the government that gives a damn about Earth."

The President studied her to gauge her sincerity and was satisfied she spoke the truth. He understood her tactic. By assuring that only a representative from the United States would ever interface directly with her, none of the other countries would have any incentive to kill O'Neill. By giving the President the power to appoint that representative, she gave him every reason to continue to work with her. Knowing she would be around for two hundred years or more gave him and his successors reason for caution in their actions. Considering how much she and her people valued O'Neill, it was in America's interest to keep him working for her. And, knowing what she was willing to do for Earth encouraged everyone to protect her. The President had to admit she was one helluva strategist.

"If no one else gives a damn, why do you care, Ma'am?" President Hayes responded to the vehemence of her statements.

"Because sir, I AM the Judge of ALL the People. I do not think in terms of mere centuries." She let that thought settle in him.

'Humph, My heritage must last millennia. I perceive things fools do not.' Lady Anna had enough of this limited official. He could never understand who, or more importantly, what she was. Anna knew she was very differently constructed from other humans. It gave her certain insights that frightened her and yet it helped her set her course. That course involved O'Neill but not for the reasons this man assumed.

"Ma'am, I completely understand." Hayes wondered how she knew she was different. The President worried if he knew enough now about how really different she was. She knew something important about herself. The SGC had confirmed her level of development was far more advanced than almost anyone else except for Jack O'Neill. The tests at the SGC indicated she was 24 percent along toward achieving Ascension. At those levels, humans gained impressive abilities.

President Hayes also knew that the Asgaard were interested in her, too. Advanced humans presented some possibilities toward solving their cloning problems. The Asgaard were still looking for a template to use to construct bodies that could contain the advanced mind of an Asgaard consciousness. And they needed these bodies to begin normal reproduction to save their race.

President Hayes considered Lady Anna's situation to be a blessing and a curse. He didn't want her to know the degree to which she was advancing. It raised some scary speculations. Millennia from now, how different would her people be? Yes, Lady Anna did think more long term than any human on this planet. He saw the logic to her offer. She did need a gatekeeper. It was reasonable and good for both parties. America would be her gatekeeper.

"I shall inform the other nations. You will have my support. What else can I do for you, tonight?"


Jack stood on the docking platform. 'Yes, sometimes it is good to be me,' he thought. Before him stood the senior staff in dress uniforms at attention. And obviously, they were all turned out for him. It was the Sabbath, but greeting him was the priority tonight. Jack stepped off the platform to the walkway. Everyone saluted smartly. He looked them over and returned the salute. Then they all bowed. 'Gaaaa, wish they would stop doing that. I hate when they do that.'

The base commander came up to greet him with recognition in his eyes. Jack had never met the man. At least this one looked like an adult. So many of them looked like children. As the man bowed again, Jack offered to shake hands. The man had no idea what to do. But he let Jack take his hand and make the Earth greeting. The look on his face said it all. Lord O'Neill had touched him.

Jack wanted to smack him. Instead he accepted the commander's invitation to review the senior staff and be escorted to his quarters. The commander was proud to tell him that the Lady's own quarters had been prepared for him. Jack kept a straight face and thanked the man who was very pleased. All Jack could think was what he would do to her when they next met. He was gonna strangle her. He also wondered if she would be safe where she slept that night.


The Secretary General of the United Nations relaxed in the apartment of his mistress on the Upper East Side of Manhattan early Friday evening. It had been a full week. He needed to relax. His woman brought him his favorite drink and sat down on the bed. He watched her seductively remove his shoes, and then his socks, and then the rest. Yes, she was a lovely creature. And she understood her place. So few of the modern women did these days. He insisted that his women know their place. His wife was home taking care of their children. She never complained to him or asked him about his business. She knew better. Ah, yes, this was so pleasant. The woman lay down next to him. He stroked her hair.

A brilliant light brought two young boys to the foot of the bed. One was holding a large high-powered rifle with an advanced scope and laser sight. The barrel was pointed right at him. The Secretary's eyes grew wide as he dropped his glass. The woman screamed. He sat up and tried to roll out of the bed. But she was crawling over him to escape. But the boy, lowered the rifle and placed it on the foot of the bed. He and the other one could only be about 12 years old. How did they get in here?

The first boy bowed and then smiled a disgusted smile. "Secretary General, Our Great Lady, Anna who is Judge of All the People, Third Lord of the Admiralty of the Star Commonwealth of Planets extends to you her greetings. She requires you to discover who purchased this weapon and where. We suggest you find out before the next sun sets." And then they vanished. The Secretary sat shaking for several minutes. His mistress was long gone. Getting up he realized he had become incontinent in the bed. It was time to call a few people, but not from here.


The U.N. Ambassador awoke in bed. Something was wrong. He had been traveling in a private jet to go home. This was not the bed in the airplane. He reached over to turn on the light. What he saw did not make any sense. His bed seemed to be floating in outer space. He rubbed his eyes, thinking he must be dreaming. Then he saw the door of the airlock. He jumped up and spun around seeing the person standing there.

"You are not dreaming, Ambassador," said a small boy about 12 years old. "You are in Our Great Lady's Starship, the 'Daniel Jackson.' On behalf of our Lady, Anna who is the Judge of All the People, Third Lord of the Admiralty of the Star Commonwealth of Planets, I would humbly ask your help in discovering the name of the assassin who tried to kill our Lord General Jack O'Neill today. You are asked to yield the names of all the conspirators by the time the next sun sets in Washington." The small boy smirked a nasty grin. Nodding over to the airlock door he offered, "Oh, that? Right there? Yes, it is what you think it is." Bile rose in the Ambassador's throat as he stared out the window past the curvature of the Earth into the blackness of space. "We hope you will agree to comply with Our Great Lady's most humble request." The man shook his head in terror. "Good. That will be all, Ambassador." The boy vanished. The bed vanished and then re-appeared, floating in the vacuum. He threw up. Before he could asphyxiate himself breathing in his own flotsam, he was re-deposited on the private jet.


"Yes, Ambassador Dobrynsky. We are so very sorry you had such a terrible experience. We just want to be sure you are not hurt. Of course. We don't know, sir. Yes, we shall let you know the moment we have anything. Sir, there is one more matter we should discuss tonight if you are feeling up to it. Yes, thank you for bearing with us in this difficult situation." The Secretary of State paused. "Yes, your information is correct. Lady Anna did award the right to appoint General O'Neill's replacement to the President of the United States in perpetuity. Let's hope he does not have to exercise the privilege." There was dead silence on the other end. For several moments. It took an eternity. And then there was just a click as the line went dead.

"How did he take it?" George Hammond inquired. One look said it all. "Right. I'll tell the President."

"She's really pissed that the guy did not risk HIS life to save O'Neill. As far as she is concerned, the Russian ambassador is a coward and unredeemable for driving away like that." The Secretary shook his head. "I can't say that I disagree completely, but the assassin could have launched an RPG at the car. The ambassador didn't know. I'm surprised the assassin didn't use one. But from her point of view, he should have sacrificed himself to cover O'Neill. There is no way I was going to explain that part to him." Both men rolled their eyes. "Did this ever get out of hand."

"I never in my wildest nightmares would have imagined that 38 billion human beings would think that Jack O'Neill is their religious what? Hero? Prophet? Icon? I don't even want to go any further with that thought." George Hammond was truly disturbed. "I know the guy worked miracles for the program. He was on the front lines for seven years. And yes, all the aliens loved him. But from my point of view, it was a team effort."

"Lady Anna does not want him burdened with the information that he is a religious figure. The President agrees." The Secretary of State stated firmly.

"Let's play ball here." The Secretary made the case plain. Hammond sighed. He was always a team player. "The President does not want anyone to contradict Lady Anna on this one point. She thinks Jack O'Neill is special and insists no one tells him why."

Hammond snorted and rolled his eyes. This day just got better and better.


Teal'c awoke gasping for air. His eyes were wide with fear. He had no idea where he was. The last thing he remembered he was standing on the street in Washington with O'Neill. Hands reached out to soothe him and help him up. Everyone was smiling at him. And they were all children. He sat up and looked at them. Ah, he was in a sarcophagus. Uh oh.

"What has transpired?" He got out and stood before them. Some of the kids backed away. Then he understood. He was somewhere with the Commonwealth and these were not children. Calmly he told them, "You have no reason to fear me."

One of the child-persons approached and held out her hand. Teal'c smiled and took it gently. They walked out of the room and down the hall to a waiting area. Food was brought to him. 'Waking up from the dead always stimulates the appetite,' Teal'c remembered. Teal'c ate while he waited. He was a patient man. After he was done, another child-person came to take him to an office. An adult-person greeted him.

Looking at all these ageless people never ceased to amaze him. The people of the Commonwealth had found the way to manipulate their DNA to extend their lives more than two hundred years depending when an ancestor started the process. The more ancestors who had completed the process the longer his descendants could expect to live. The "children" could be any age under thirty years old. By their mid-thirties, they seemed to plateau for many decades appearing to be in their early twenties. This one seemed to be older so he must be well over one hundred years old.

"Greetings Master Teal'c. I am Doctor Michael. We are grateful that you have been healed. But we must be certain there was no brain damage. Can you tell us what is the last thing you remember?" The doctor waited for Teal'c to think about it.

"I was on a street with O'Neill. That is the last thing I remember." Teal'c tried again to remember more. "I am sorry I do not know any more."

"Can you remember what you were doing? Were you fighting a battle, for example?" The doctor checked his notes.

"I don't think so, yet I was killed?" Teal'c was confused. No one had ever asked him what he remembered after awakening from a sarcophagus. Maybe they had more medical knowledge than the Goa'uld. They seemed to have plenty more in other directions.

"Yes, Teal'c you were killed by a projectile. But you feel fine now?" The doctor seemed very concerned. Teal'c said yes. "Good. I would not want Lord O'Neill to be angry with us. We want him to know we did everything possible for you. Sometimes there is brain damage, which must be repaired." The doctor smiled at Teal'c. "Well, I do not know about a Jaffa, but for a human you look well. Perhaps your memories will surface later. Although," he paused and looked at his notes, "you were dead for more time than I would have preferred." The doctor frowned in concern. "Is there anything more you can remember? Maybe something earlier in the day, perhaps?"

Teal'c realized something was amiss. "Is O'Neill here? Perhaps he could tell you."

"No, he did not accompany you. He must be elsewhere doing something for Lady Anna. They only sent some of her guards with you." The doctor stood up to walk Teal'c to the door. "Please commend me to Our Great Lady and let her know we did our duty." He bowed and Teal'c bowed in return. "You will be returned to the Stargate now."

After Teal'c left, another man came into the room. "Did you implant it?" The man nodded. "We know his guards are from Larta." Their eyes met. "The dust and bacteria from the uniforms of the guards have the right isotopes for Larta. Check there first." The doctor dismissed the operative. He had someone to meet later today. He had also discovered bacteria and spores on Teal'c indicating he had been on Daria. But this operative did not need to know everything.


The Director of Central Intelligence or DCI at CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia worked late that Friday night. Outsiders and spy novelists referred to Headquarters as 'Langley,' but none of the real players did. The DCI had his hands full this time. The President of the United States (POTUS) was in the hot seat over the latest assassination attempt that day. Already, the international traffic indicated blame storming was in full tilt. America was being criticized from one end of the globe to the other. Old Europe and New Europe were right up at the front of the pack. The SecDef, or rather the Secretary of Defense, was after the DCI's butt tonight too for information. He wished he had better than the one-pager on his desk intended for the man the bloggers termed TMPMITW, 'the most powerful man in the world.' That was a laugh. The alien was the most powerful person in the world tonight.

Information was not coming fast enough. The DCI ordered the staff to use every backchannel available. Agents were encouraged to get to officials outside the normal channels to get to someone without his superiors knowing. Maybe that would loosen some tongues. The agencies across the river were breathing down his neck for answers. The Senate Intelligence Oversight Committee had calls into his office. Even the folks on the dark side of the moon, as the House of Representatives was known locally, wanted answers. The DCI knew an Everest Committee would be formed to determine how this latest Intelligence failure happened. It would be a scandal that this series of hits went undetected and undeterred. It wasn't just that O'Neill was rug rank at the Pentagon; he was a bona fide American hero. The man had fought and won against powerful aliens. And now he brought the promise of a new era to this planet. But a slew of assassins were after him just when he was bringing home the bacon. Tonight, the information to solve this puzzle seemed frustratingly just out of reach.

In Washington that Friday night, some folks were not dealing well with the idea of change, at least not this kind of change. Senator Fisher had his own agenda. That show horse on the Senate Appropriations Committee was in rare form tonight working all the talking head programs to the max. He had real porcupine power, meaning the power to block and obstruct. And he oversaw the funding for the Stargate Program. Lately, he had been thick as thieves with a certain has been hack, Robert Kinsey. Considering Kinsey's nefarious ties to the Trust, the former Vice-President was under scrutiny by the entire Intelligence community. Last month, somebody passed the DCI a buckslip on Kinsey's renewed political aspirations, but he dismissed it as impossible. A buckslip was a cover note used to forward a worthwhile newspaper clipping and was about the size of a dollar bill, hence the name. Now, the DCI was not so sure. And Kinsey did have an axe to grind with O'Neill. The DCI put in a call to the FBI. Someone should examine this avenue much more thoroughly.

The DCI activated his headset. One of the back channel contacts hit pay dirt. In a Fifth Street bar where small time lawyers hang out, someone heard something. It was a question how lawyers, who handle small cases at the DC courthouse, would be privy to something concerning interstellar matters. But a tip was a tip. At this point, the Agency would run any lead to ground.


A half hour later, Jack had refreshed himself in his quarters. The quarters provided to him were elegant indeed. Lady Anna's people saw to his every need. In fact, dinner came to him. Afterwards, he asked the Computer if he could make a call to the President. The computer connected Jack by holographic communicator.

"Howdy fellas." Jack saw Hayes was in conference with Hammond, the Secretary of Defense, and the White House Chief of Staff. At least the Secret Service had stopped unloading their clips into his image. "I heard you were looking for me. Thought I would check in."

"Thank you Lord O'Neill," Hammond smirked. "Should we bow, too?" Pretty sarcastic, wondered Jack.

"You can if you feel like it." He could be sarcastic right back.

"We would like to know where you are and what you are doing." The SecDef looked at him over his reading glasses. "Lady Anna has made some unusual requests of us. Know anything about them?"

"She's always making unusual requests. It's what she does," Jack snarked back.

"Well she really has it bad for you, Jack. Seems she is not going to have anyone else take your place." Hayes launched into her ultimatum. "And she wants us to brief her ASAP on why the attacks are happening to you as opposed to her, with related issues. We are here trying to pull it together. What does she have you doing?"

"She has me making a tour of her defenses out in the solar system. I am on a base in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Apparently, the base near Saturn wasn't the only one. So she wants me to coordinate outer system defenses with inner system defenses. And then recommend improvements."

'I am going to have a talk with that woman,' Jack mused to himself. 'No. I am going to strangle her.'

"And how was your evening, sir?"

"Fine Jack," Hayes consulted his notes. "She has asked for analysts to work with her specialists to track down the terrorists who want you dead. So we are putting together another 'Earth Force' team of contractors who do work for the National Security Agency (NSA) and the CIA. They should hit the ground running within 4 hours. Seems she has lots of data but doesn't understand it in our context here on Earth."

"I sent Carter and Daniel to help with that too. But now, I want Carter here. She knows more about space stuff anyway. Let Daniel handle the cultural issues. And I may want Mitchell too from a pilot's perspective. He and Teal'c have run simulations with their equipment before when we were with the Commonwealth. Speaking of Teal'c has he come back yet?" Jack stuck his hands in his pockets in a waiting posture.

"We heard from the Alpha Site that he has been diverted to the Gamma site for medical reasons. Lady Anna ordered her doctors to carefully screen him for tracking implants." Hammond was amazed. "The things these people think to do is downright scary. Speaking of scary, what's she got going on out there?"

"You know I'm not allowed to say without prior approval. But as soon as I do I'll let you know." Jack grinned to say it was plenty. "When Teal'c gets back would you have him sent to me?" Hammond nodded. "Send him to the Embassy. They'll do the rest."


Lady Anna was nobody's fool. If she wasn't totally able to solve her own intelligence problem at home, she sure could on this primitive world. With her superior technology, she had her experts hacking into every system worldwide looking for patterns and clues. As far as her technicians were concerned, the volume of information slowed them down only a little. Understanding the information in a cultural context was another matter. In the process, it became obvious she needed an insider to direct her efforts.

So she decided to call in a local expert. It was not difficult to persuade him of the benefits to helping her out. He was proving himself invaluable and was extremely motivated. She had him contacting the right persons in the right places with tantalizing offers of new hardware and software to give them the edge on the competition. In return, he got analysts and software her people could use and adapt to sweep the primitive information systems of this planet. But he was just one man who had only a couple of months to work on the problem. She needed more. The President's offer of more was timely. Now her expert could access what he kept asking her to get.

The task before them was to trace out the financial trail the terrorists sought to conceal. Many transactions were not done through the western system of banks. Some societies regarded banks and interest as immoral. So they continued using a time-honored system of exchanges. Sometimes records were kept on paper and sometimes only in someone's head. Essentially, a person would approach an agent who had an honest reputation and track record. There, money would pass hands to be given to another person far away by another agent who regularly dealt with the first agent. Without a paper trail, such transactions were complex to track. With the Commonwealth's superior hardware and software it was trivial.

The problem had been that Anna's people did not know about the exchange system or where it was located. They did not know how to identify what the records, if any, would look like. Once they did, her operatives could beam in and out of even remote places to gather the data. Her scanning equipment made short work of any written documents no matter how many pages or volumes. Her software sorted the jumbled information instantly. Once she knew the locations, Anna had them bugged. By listening to the conversations, patterns emerged leading to other players. After identifying the players, she had them tagged so they could be tracked anywhere on the planet. And their conversations could be heard from any location. Even more information was gathered. It was only a matter of time before they could piece the whole financial system together. The information gathered was of tremendous value to finding terrorists and their shadowy conspirators. The importance was to give her tremendous power on Earth, knowing such secrets. But first, her local expert had to explain the reasons for the terrorism. He was somewhat helpful. Knowing the motivations however crazy they seemed, helped her analysts make projections of future actions. In less than three months, a large portion of the puzzle was put together. Anna's expert was worth his weight in gold. He wanted more.

Getting the primitives to do her bidding was a management exercise testing her abilities. Keeping them in line was problematic too. But Anna was a master manipulator. Now and then, it was necessary to enforce her requirements. Jack's indiscretion with the President just now infuriated her. He was a loose cannon as everyone said. How dare he reveal her bases to those imbeciles in his government, she fumed. Telling them was like telling the entire galaxy. His government's poor security measures let human disloyalty counter every piece of equipment she had given them. It was time to teach O'Neill a lesson. The carrot would be replaced with an unusual stick.

Anna's hologram appeared before O'Neill in an observation room at the base. Jack was watching the efforts to assemble a communications array. He was both impressed and concerned. Looking at Anna's face he knew something was terribly wrong.

"My Lord O'Neill, I would speak with you about a serious breech of security." Jack looked confused. "Don't give me that innocent dumb act, sir. I know what you said just now to the President and his imbecile advisors." Oops, she knew? "No matter what equipment I give them, continuous loose talk negates the benefits of our security equipment. Exactly like what you just did." Anna was really mad. "Sir, the President's office leaks like a sieve. That is why I demanded your silence."

"Ma'am, I," Jack stopped mid-sentence.

"Don't bother, General. You disappoint me." And she was gone.

'Uh oh. The shit hit the fan, boy,' thought Jack. 'You are out where she is calling the shots. So much for being her golden boy,' he mused. Oy. At that moment he couldn't remember why he had done it. Well, mostly because of what he had just learned was going on out here. He needed to report it. No matter what she thought, his first loyalty was to his country. But he had been detailed to her staff with orders not to reveal matters. Jack considered his options. They were few at the moment. So, he might as well turn in for the night. There was nothing else he could do.

Leaving the observation room, Jack asked the Computer how to get back to his quarters. It did not respond. Suddenly a hand landed on his shoulder and a voice he recognized said, "I can show you if you want me to, Jack. Long time no see." O'Neill grimaced in recognition and turned around to confirm what he already knew.

"Hello, Maybourne."


Disclaimer: "Stargate SG-1" and "Stargate Atlantis" and their characters are the property of Sony Pictures, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Film Corp., Showtime/Viacom and USA Networks, Inc. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended against this or any other story in the universe. The original characters, situations and story are the property of the author(s), and may not be republished or archived elsewhere without the author's permission.

Sources: cgi-bin/article.cgi?file /chronicle/archive/2003/12/11/MNGHK3KUO61. Wikipedia The Reformation and g2mil. com / RPG. htm