What had only a moment before been an annoyance was suddenly very serious, and Ian's scowl faded as he realized the guy in front of him had to be a Goa'uld. Luckily, he was also an unarmed Goa'uld, which meant that he wasn't going to be all that much of a threat to him – but how the fuck had a Goa'uld gotten loose in the SGC without anyone knowing about it? Figuring the best thing he could do was keep the thing at a distance – he wasn't armed, either, and didn't even have a stick – Ian assumed the lazy boredom that he affected whenever he was truly trying to piss someone off.

"Have we met?"

"In another time – at another location," the Goa'uld said, moving into an offensive position that he recognized immediately from his lessons with Bra'tac.

"Well that's pretty specific," Ian drawled, annoyed despite the seriousness now. What the hell was that supposed to mean? "But I'd know if we'd met before, and I've never seen you."

The Goa'uld's eyes narrowed in pure hatred.

"My name is Ralna. Seterios was my mate."

"He was gay?"

"You killed him – and ruined our plans for dominion."

If anything, the Goa'uld was even angrier, which meant it was just a matter of time before he rushed Ian. Better to really have him pissed off and angry enough to make a mistake than to let things continue to brew.

"He had it coming," Ian told him. "Now, give me the stick before I shove it up your ass."

That did it. With a furious cry of rage the Goa'uld attacked – and it was almost quicker than Ian could deal with. Almost. The improvised club came crashing down at an angle, aiming for his head, but Ian's left arm came up and blocked the blow, while his right hand snaked out and slapped the Goa'uld insultingly on the cheek. Insult or not, it was a stinging blow, and Ralna fell back, surprised that his attack had been so easily repelled but nowhere near ready to give up.

He rushed Ian again, and the Lieutenant danced out of his way, knowing that he couldn't risk being caught in any kind of wrestling. He had to stay away from the Goa'uld, because the last thing he needed was to become an unwilling host. His head was already killing him.

Ian's foot shot out as Ralna's momentum carried him past, and he tripped him. He fell heavily, but rolled out of the way, dodging Ian's savage kick.

"I will kill you for that, Tau'ri!" he screamed as he scrambled to his feet and rushed Ian again.

Ian didn't answer. He didn't have time to answer – and Bra'tac had told him countless times that exchanging threats in the middle of a fight was a waste of time – and a good way to become distracted and lose. It was one thing to goad and be belligerent before a fight, but never during it. Instead, he dodged another swipe of the stick, ducking under it barely in time, and lashed out with his fist, driving it into Ralna's solar plexus as hard as he could.

The Goa'uld grunted, but didn't hesitate, and in a move that was a lot quicker than Ian expected, he swung the stick again, this time connecting with Ian's side as the Lieutenant tried to dodge out of the way.

It was Ian's turn to grunt in pain, but he didn't go down, either. He moved with the blow, drawing himself away from Ralna and forcing the Goa'uld to close in on him to press the attack. Which he did. The stick came down again, and Ian blocked it once more, but the Gou'ald's fist slammed into the side of Ian's head – a blow he hadn't even seen coming.

Stunned, he went down, but like Ralna, he was moving as he did, and he managed to kick out with a foot and trip Ralna up as the Goa'uld came after him. The Goa'uld went down in a heal, and Ian scrambled quickly to his feet, clutching his side as he tried to catch his breath and figure out what the hell to do next.

He was suddenly shouldered aside as a flash of blonde streaked past him from behind, hurtling itself at the Goa'uld with a blood chilling snarl. Ian staggered, watching as Jack (the dog) launched himself at Ralna before the Goa'uld could get to his feet.

"Ian! Get down!"

That voice was Jack, and Ian stumbled backwards, falling more than actually throwing himself to the floor of the corridor. Ralna screamed in pain as Jack (the dog) ripped open a gash in his wrist, and then tried to turn and run from the unfamiliar and terrifying attack.

"Jack! Down!"

This was Teal'c's voice, and Jack (the dog) obeyed instantly, breaking off the attack as quickly as he'd begun it. He dodged to the side, and there was a sudden crackling jolt as the beam from a zat came past Ian and the yellow lab both and struck Ralna in the back.

The Goa'uld dropped instantly, and didn't move, and Jack and Teal'c came running up with Daniel and a security team. Teal'c moved forward to deal with the Goa'uld, but Jack and Daniel stopped at Ian, kneeling down.

"You okay?"

Ian nodded, wiping a hand against his head and surprised there wasn't any blood. It sure hurt like hell.

"Yeah…" he took a jagged breath, and Jack pulled him to his feet. "Your timing sucks."

Jack looked over at Teal'c, who was tightly binding Ralna's hands behind his back before the effects of the zat faded.

"Did he say anything to you before he started kicking your ass?"

"He didn't kick my ass," Ian said, automatically. "I was doing okay."

"Did he say anything?" Jack repeated.

"His name's Ralna – and apparently he's pretty pissed at me."

Jack frowned.

"Why's that?"

"Because he's Seterios' mate," Ian said. "How do you like that? Guy on guy Goa'uld…"

"Up until an hour ago, he was a she," Daniel said. "The host is actually Emmett Bregman's cameraman, Ben. You'll never guess who we found dead in Ben's quarters…"

It didn't take a genius to figure out who the only female Goa'uld in the SGC was, and Ian was more than a genius.

"Pia."

Jack nodded.

"It kind of all fits, doesn't it?"

"Except for what any of this has to do with Anubis," Daniel said.

Jack looked over at Teal'c, who was lifting Ralna's inert form up and slinging it over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Well, when he comes to, we can ask."