After the excitement and surprise of finding Sha're on Abydos, life for Daniel went back to normal for a while. Not long after Sha're was transferred to the Furling prison world, Daniel was appointed as Sujanha's third aid. When she had told him the news, the Commander had stated wryly that Daniel had been doing the work of an aid almost since his arrival and now he could receive a generous salary in return for his work. Ruarc, who had become one of Daniel's closest friends on Uslisgas and his go-to person for questions about Furling, uh, anything, had revealed that his salary, 300 pieces of Aslat (a Furling metal), would allow him to live quite comfortably even if he were paying for his own housing. Since Daniel had chosen to remain with Sujanha, he would have a lot of money left over every year. Thankfully, with the Furling's 'banking' system, Daniel was not reduced to hiding his money under his mattress.

As the months passed, Sha're remained confined. As advanced as the Furling healers were, they were unsure how to safely extract her symbiote without risking permanent damage or death. They were unfamiliar with parasitic lifeforms such as the Goa'uld, and the healers among their allies, even the Asgard, had been able to offer little assistance. The healers were hopeful that progress would be made when (or if) the Furlings made contact with the Tok'ra.

On a less dismal note, Daniel had devoted a considerable amount of his time, when he was not helping Sujanha or checking on his wife, to the study of the Furling language, an extremely complicated tongue. Ruarc and some of his other friends who spoke English had kindly give of their time to help him with his studies. By the time three or so Furlings months had passed, Daniel had become reasonably fluent in written Furling. He could also understand spoken Furling quite well, though he struggled to speak it himself due to its harsher sounds. Immersion was a very good way of learning a new language, even if not always the most pleasant.

The preparations for war, in general, were going well, but the search for the rebel Jaffa was going very slowly. After the original discussion between Daniel and the Commander in which he had revealed the existence of the Free Jaffa, Supreme Commander Anarr had sent a sizable number of scouts to the Milky-Way to sow seeds of rebellion where possible and to search out the Free Jaffa safely without exposing them. Both Supreme Commanders along with their principle lieutenants had all agreed that it was too risky to attempt to infiltrate Chu'lak in their search. While the scouts had learned much valuable intelligence for the war effort during their long three month search, they had discovered few leads as to the Free Jaffa.


The 1st of Ea, 6545 A.S. (December 1998)
Four Earth Months after Secrets

Today was Daniel's day off. He had spent the morning with Sha're, sitting outside her cell, talking to her in the hope that even with Amaunet in control, Sha're could still hear his voice. After returning to Uslisgas, Daniel had eaten a quick lunch in the Great Square and then had returned to the Citadel to bury himself inside the Great Library of the Furling and put his newfound knowledge of their language to good use. The library was a massive building with eight-floors of stacks and more square footage than the British Library in London. There were books written not only by the Furlings but also by countless other races that were currently their allies or had been in ages past.

These books covered almost every topic imaginable: history, biography, theology, philosophy, literature, epics, poetry, sciences. Furling writings—so a librarian had explained to him at length and so he was discovering from his own perusing—were mainly of the historical variety (including biographical) or the philosophical or the scientific. Of fiction and most poetry, Furlings read little and wrote even less, though Daniel did learn that a couple of long lays/epics had been written concerning the Great War with the Sicarii and the countless soldiers and civilians who had fallen during the millennia-long war. On theology, the Furlings also wrote little. Daniel had known that they were a religious people, remembering the reference Ruarc had made to their 'Creator' when he had come to Abydos. He had learned from some exploring in a number of encyclopedia-like books that their religion was not an organized religion and had no religious institutions like with Christianity, Judaism, or Islam on earth. The Furlings, however, had a common faith in one God and one God only, whom they called the 'Creator." There were some similarities with the three major religions on earth: the belief in prayer, the belief in a life after death and a final reckoning, and the belief that the good and the evil have different resting places for eternity.

Daniel had been in the stacks, happily pursuing his way through a number of books, when he heard hurried footsteps. He looked up and around with some surprise, double-checking what was going on around him. A young man (human) in a military uniform was coming down the main hallway that bisected that wing of the library into two long rows and was quickly scanning people's faces looking for someone in particular it seemed. As soon as he caught sight of Daniel, he made a bee line towards him.

"_ Jackson," he said in very quick Furling, which Daniel could catch almost every word of, "You are _ summoned to Headquarters. The Lady has need of you."


One of the things convenient about Furling (and Asgard) beaming technology was that it made getting to Headquarters from the Library quick and easy. As soon as Daniel reached the steps that lead down from the Library's main entrance, he was beamed away to the entrance hall of Headquarters. In moments, he was on one of the lifts upstairs, and moments later was entering Sujanha's suite of offices.

The door between the outer offices and Sujanha's inner office was fully open, even an extension that Daniel hadn't known existed. Asik and Jaax were both there along with Ragnar and Ruarc. Even Commander Anarr was there, pacing in front of Sujanha's desk, gesturing and speaking to her at a very fast clip, too fast for Daniel to have a hope of understanding.

"What's going on?" Daniel asked in Furling, joining Ruarc, who was leaning against the doorframe watching the discussion between the two Supreme Commanders. "Problem?"

"Maybe," Ruarc replied in a low whisper, "That's the issue: we don't know yet."

For both Supreme Commanders to be present—they were more involved in day-to-day operations than most very high generals or admirals on earth seemed to be, but Anarr rarely came down to his sister's offices when problems arose—whatever had happened … something must have had gone majorly wrong. "What happened?" Daniel hissed back, concerned.

Ruarc opened his mouth to answer, but before he could speak, Sujanha looked up from where she was sitting at her desk, past her brother and, seeing Daniel, said to him in Furling, "Good, you're here. I am sorry to have to summon you on your day of rest."

"That's alright, my lady," he said, speaking slightly more formally as Anarr was there, "I'm glad to help. What happened?" Daniel and Sujanha were quite comfortable around each other, after months of living in the same house, and she seemed to be becoming rather fond of him, but her brother—a much sterner man and more curt in speech—made him slightly uneasy.

"Yesterday," Anarr said gruffly, his eyes flashing with anger, "I lost contact with two of my scouts in the Milky-Way without any warning. An hour ago, one of them returned alone and with disquieting news..."

"After four months of searching," said Sujanha, taking up the tale, easily as if the two siblings often finished each other sentences, "we have finally found Bra'tac and the Rebel Jaffa, or rather, I should say, they found us."

Daniel frowned, puzzled, struggling to follow what the two Commanders were saying or implying. "I don't follow," he said, sidestepping Anarr to take his usual seat by Sujanha's desk.

"My. Scout. Is. A. Hostage," growled Anarr in a manner more appropriate to a big cat than a ram with a massive set of horns. He was, obviously, furious. Sujanha's anger seemed more to run cold, while her brother ran hot.

Sujanha continued, "From what Jeluk—the scout who returned—has told us, he and his brother Navok had been leaving the world they had been investigating but were waylaid by Bra'tac and his Jaffa on the way to the gate. Jeluk was reluctant to fight his way out, since the Jaffa leader matched your description of Bra'tac exactly. Bra'tac took Jeluk and Navok to another planet, the address which we now have, and then sent Jeluk back to us with a message: he is willing to meet with us but wants you, Daniel, along with a Furling commander to come alone. He promises Navok's safe return."

Daniel remembered how suspicious Bra'tac had been of SG1 during their mission to rescue Rya'c, a few months after SG1 had been just formed. "Are you asking for a threat assessment?" On one hand, Daniel was an archaeologist, not a soldier, but on the other hand, he was the only one in the room to have had any encounters with Bra'tac, not counting the encounter with the scouts.

"Yes," said Anarr, his voice more restrained now, "An alliance with the Rebel Jaffa would be beneficial to us, but we had not expected our first encounter with them to occur in this manner. We wish to consider all sides of this issue, before sending more of our men possibly into harm's way."

"Understandable," said Daniel. The Furlings were not going to leave a man behind, that was very clear, but nor were they willing to rush headlong into a trap.

Daniel was quiet for a long minute, thinking through his answer carefully and weighing each word before he said it. "When SG1 and I first met Bra'tac, he was very suspicious of us. Bra'tac is an old, cunning warrior and an honorable one, but the rebel movement among the Jaffa is a small one right now, and Bra'tac is one of the main leaders, if not the main one. If something happened to Bra'tac, it could spell disaster for them. Bra'tac wants to meet, he told you that already. An alliance could greatly strengthen his cause, but he is going to be a wary of a double-cross or a trap, just as you are."

"Not unreasonable. Caution is a good thing, as long as you are not overly so," added Ruarc from the doorway, "As dishonorable as the Goa'uld are, he is wise to be wary."

Sujanha nodded, acknowledging her guard's statement, before glancing over at her brother. A silent conversation passed between the two with looks and small gestures. Finally, Anarr nodded, and Sujanha looked back at Daniel. "Are you willing to go?" She asked.

"Yes," Daniel replied without hesitation. He trusted Bra'tac and hoped that he might be able to get some news of his friends during a meeting.

"Then the only matter left to discuss," said Anarr, "is to decide which commander to send."

"All Bra'tac said to Jeluk regarding this matter," rumbled Ragnar, "was that he wanted to meet Jeluk's commander. Considering our hierarchy and the fact that Commander Anarr is Jeluk's superior but the scouts are going out under your auspices, lady, it seems to me that you have a large amount of freedom of which commander to pick and from which branch, expect for either of you, with all due respect." Never let it be said that the larger of Sujanha's bodyguards was all brawn and no brain.

Daniel was able to follow what Ragnar was saying, right up until the last statement, which confused him. Sujanha waved a paw in a gesture that was either an acknowledgement or a dismissal, Daniel wasn't sure which.

"What rank then?" said Sujanha.

"Fleet Commander or General?" Suggested Anarr.

"Too low," Sujanha said, shaking her head, "I'm not even sure all of my Fleet Commanders speak English. Bra'tac speaks English, correct?" She asked Daniel. When she saw him nod, she continued. "And if all mine do not, your Generals are even less likely to."

"High Commander or High General?"

"Considering Bra'tac's rank and status within the Rebel Jaffa movement, I think that would be appropriate."

"Mine or yours, then."

"Mine," replied Sujanha definitively, "The scouts are your soldiers but are going out under my command, which makes this situation my problem. Moreover, if we succeed in building this alliance, Bra'tac and the Jaffa are more likely to interact with my lieutenants than yours."

Anarr shrugged and agreed. Daniel had a feeling he might have argued more if he weren't in such a hurry to get this situation resolved ASAP. "Algar or Bjorn then."

"Bjorn is in Ida right now helping Thor and the Crown Prince with a situation with the Vocontii that needed extra hands, and his English is poor anyway. Algar will succeed me in time anyway, and his fleets will form the strike force against the Goa'uld. It makes sense for him to be chosen." Daniel, from idle chatter and discussions with Ruarc and Jaax, knew that the High Commanders were one step below Sujanha in rank but had never met either one before.

"Shall I send for him then?" Asked Jaax himself, appearing in the doorway beside Ruarc.

"Please," replied Sujanha, "and send a message to Njall in the Milky-Way, I need to speak to him, as well." Who Njall was, Daniel did not know, probably one of Sujanha's ship-commanders. The Furling Fleet was quite large from all he had heard, though he had never seen exact figures.

"Of course," Jaax said. He saluted in the Furling fashion and then withdrew.

Sujanha turned then to Ruarc. "Please take Daniel to supplies, and see that he has what he needs."

"Yes, lady," said Ruarc and motioned for Daniel to follow him.


Ruarc led Daniel silently from Headquarters and a little ways south along the Citadel into a heavily fortified building that looked like it had been built to withstand a siege. Well, considering the war against the Sicarii, it might have been built to do just that. The building, which Ruarc revealed was used as both a temporary barracks and as storage for supplies, was much busier than even Headquarters seemed to be, with lots and lots of creatures from many different races moving about.

Ruarc led Daniel up and down several hallways until they reached a small staircase that led down two levels into a large chamber. The room had several staircases leading up above or even farther down. It was further subdivided into several smaller sub-sections by see-through partitions and was evidently an armory, as Daniel caught sight of a row of staff-weapons along the far wall.

"Over here, Daniel," called Ruarc. Daniel had stopped unconsciously while looking around, but Ruarc had gone on ahead and was standing by a storage rack full of gauntlets like Sujanha wore. The gauntlets, when not on a person, were formed of what appeared to be two pieces of metal the width of his forearm that hinged on one side and fastened on one side. There were no visible buttons or moving parts or control mechanisms.

"Pull up one sleeve."

Daniel walked over, tugging up one sleeve as requested.

"You'll feel a slight prick," warned Ruarc, pressing one open gauntlet to Daniel's left forearm.

The prick when it came was so slight that Daniel almost didn't feel it, but he rubbed away the slight sting automatically. "What was that for?" He asked curiously.

"These gauntlets are now coded to your signature. You are the only one who can use them now," Ruarc replied, "You can pull your sleeve back down now."

Ruarc handed the gauntlets to Daniel one at a time. All the gauntlets seemed to be of one size, as far as his eyes could tell. Yet, as he put each of them on, they seemed to fit to his arm exactly and then, the seams and hinges disappeared, making the gauntlets appear to be made entirely out of one piece of metal.

"Whoa! How do I take them back off?" Sam would have kittens if she could see this, Daniel thought, somewhat sadly.

"Put one finger at the top of where the seam was, press in slightly, and then drag your finger down. That will make the seam reappear, but if you don't take the gauntlet off, the seam will disappear again in a few seconds."

Daniel followed the instructions and watched with wonderment as the metal seam flowed in and out of sight. "How does it do that?"

"Nanotechnology," replied Ruarc, "though I don't really understand the exact principles of how it works."

"Amazing."

"Focus," chided Ruarc gently, "Your gauntlets serve most importantly, for this mission, as a personal shield and an emergency beacon, though they have other functions as well. These functions can be accessed either through touch—which is slower—or through the neural interface. Never set off the beacon unless the situation you are in is a dire emergency and you have no other choice. When the beacon is activated, it sets off a warning in the control room at Headquarters and on the bridge of all nearby ships. The personal shield, however, can be activated any time even during non-emergencies. It works just as well to keep off snow or rain as it does to keep out a staff blast."

"How do I activate the shield mentally?"

"Close your eyes, and imagine yourself surrounded by a blue bubble shield. Focus on that."

Daniel closed his eyes and focused. After a few moments, he felt a slight shiver, and then Ruarc exclaimed, "It's up."

Daniel reopened his eyes. "Nothing looks any different."

"The shield is invisible unless it's under pressure," said Ruarc. To illustrate his point, he reached out one paw toward Daniel. His reach was unobstructed until his paw was a few inches away from Daniel's shoulder. Suddenly, his paw stopped moving, and a blue energy field appeared surrounding Daniel's body.

"The shield within the gauntlets is not as strong as a dedicated personal shield, as the power source in the gauntlets is split between multiple functions, but your shield can stop anything from a bladed weapon to a staff blast, though I wouldn't risk getting hit by anything as powerful as a death glider's weaponry. Reverse the process to turn the shield off."

Distracted by imagining how much Sam would like to get a look at the Furling shields, since the Goa'uld version could not stop things with low kinetic energy, it took Daniel two tries to turn off the shield. As soon as he deactivated it and Ruarc made a call, the two were beamed away to the Hall of the Stargate.


High Commander Algar was waiting for them when they arrived. He was even more intimidating, in Daniel's view, than either Sujanha or her brother. Probably about 7 feet tall, Algar looked like an eagle with coal black feathers. He had dark, glittering eyes and a long beak. His large wings—actual wings!—were held tightly against his back but fluttered slightly periodically. Algar had arms, as well as wings, and Daniel saw when he moved that his fingers were tipped with long talons. His manner was grim. Yikes, Bra'tac going to be in for a surprise.

As soon as Algar saw the two beam in, he made a signal, and the Stargate began to dial. "Are you going with us, Ruarc?" Asked Daniel.

"No," the bodyguard replied, giving the High Commander a quick salute, "I've just come to see you off." He lowered his voice and then continued, "Trust your friend, but be careful. If you feel there's imminent danger, activate your shield. Obey the High Commander's instruction. If this mission goes wrong, there's a mothership in orbit around the planet."

The Stargate finished dialing and opened with a kawoosh that made Daniel flinch slightly, as talking with Ruarc, he hadn't been expecting it.

"We must go," said Algar curtly.

Ruarc squeezed Daniel's shoulder. "Good fortune to you, and bring yourself back unharmed! Don't keep the Commander waiting."

Algar stepped through the gate, and Daniel followed a couple paces behind, and they emerged onto a new world.


The world the two men emerged onto was a forested one. The Stargate stood in a large clearing surrounded by a forest at a distant of about 10-15 yards. Several paths could be seen through the trees: some barely more than footpaths, and others widely cleared trails. There were no Jaffa in sight.

"Where's Bra'tac?" Daniel wondered aloud in a low voice. He felt slightly uneasy about being back in the Milky-Way without backup with the threat of the Goa'uld an always present reality, but then he remained himself sternly that with a Furling mothership in orbit around the planet and with a personal shield, he was probably safer at the moment than he had been on all his excursions with Jack, Sam, and Teal'c.

Algar had his head cocked to one side, before swiveling his head to look around in a nauseating display of near owl-like flexibility that made Daniel's stomach do a flip just watching him. "We are being watched," he stated bluntly, "There is a Jaffa just within the tree line. He has concealed himself quite poorly."

Right after he spoke, a Jaffa, young by the looks of him, emerged from the tree line. He approached them warily, his face full of a combination of suspicion, fear, and awe. When he got close, Daniel saw that he bore the mark of Apophis. With his long sharp beak and avian features, Algar naturally bore a striking resemblance to the bird-like helmets of the Horus Guards of Heru'ur, the great enemy of Apophis.

The Jaffa stopped short a safe distance away from Daniel and Algar. He looked between them, before focusing on Daniel. "Daniel Jackson?" He asked.

"I am," Daniel replied, "Bra'tac sent for us."

"Follow me," the Jaffa replied, casting one last wary glance at Algar before turning and leading them into the woods.

Bra'tac and two Jaffa were waiting in a clearing a couple hundred yards into the woods along one of the smaller, less-travelled paths. They had built a fire that had now burned low, and several old logs had been dragged around to use as seats. A young man, human, almost certainly the missing Navok, was sitting by the fire, talking quietly to Bra'tac, and looked up as Daniel and Algar approached. He rose, and Bra'tac also rose.

Algar glanced quickly around the clearing, taking it all in, before focusing on the missing scout. "You are unharmed?" He asked in English.

"Yes, commander," Navok replied.

"Is he free to leave?" Algar asked, picking Bra'tac out of the crowd easily without an introduction, just on the basis of Daniel's description alone.

"He is," Bra'tac replied.

"Return to Uslisgas immediately," Algar commanded Navok, "Anarr will wish to speak with you."

"Yes, commander." Navok bowed to Algar and saluted him and then turned to Bra'tac and did the same.

As soon as Navok had departed, Bra'tac came around the fire. It had been some time since Daniel had seen him last, but the old Jaffa warrior looked exactly the same, the same easy movements, the same wisdom and cunning in his eyes.

"It's good to see you, Master Bra'tac," said Daniel, extending his hand to the old Jaffa.

"And you as well, Doctor Jackson," replied the old master, grasping Daniel's arm in the traditional warrior's greeting, "Teal'c told me of your exile at the hands of that hasshak." From the scorn with which he spoke and the insult rendered to Maybourne, it was quite clear what Bra'tac's opinion was about Daniel's involuntary exile.

Bra'tac then turned to Algar, "Come. Let us sit, and you may tell me why your people have sought us out."

The other two Jaffa rose from the fire, bowed to Bra'tac and Algar, and then joined their comrade to begin pacing the perimeter of the small clearing to give the two leaders a semblance of privacy to talk. Algar and Daniel sat down on the opposite side of the fire from Bra'tac, who, if he was surprised by Algar's apperance, did not show it.

"A short time after he first came to us," Algar said after being introduced, his intonation sharp and pointed and his every word precise and to the point, "Doctor Jackson told us of the Rebel Jaffa and of your brave work to bring down the empire of the accursed ones from the inside. We commanders were surprised to hear of this but also encouraged, thinking that the work would fall on our shoulders alone to bring an end to the Goa'uld." Considering the Protected Planets Treaty and the Replicating Ones, the Asgard were not in a good position to make outright attacks against the Goa'uld.

"You plan to make war upon the Goa'uld?"

"We do."

"And your people believe that they have the power to do this?" Bra'tac was understandably skeptical.

"You know of Asgard and the worlds banned by the Goa'uld?" Algar asked to confirm.

"I do," Bra'tac replied, "I warned Teal'c myself of the forbidden worlds, and the Tau'ri have told us of the Asgard."

"The Asgard hold the Goa'uld in check from those forbidden worlds by the threat of their power and the occasional show of force," Algar continued in quick, sharp tones, "The Furlings are as mighty as the Asgard, and we have no treaties to hold our power in check. The reign of the Goa'uld will soon end."

"And what do you seek from the Jaffa?"

"Intelligence," Algar replied immediately, without hesitation, "Considering our appearances and our lesser knowledge of your tongue, it is more difficult and more dangerous for us to send out scouts. What information Doctor Jackson was able to give about the Goa'uld, their worlds, their numbers, the main leaders, their alliances and rivalries, was undeniably valuable but limited, considering his recent exile. The coming war will sweep across the galaxy, and it is a war we are ready and willing to fight, but we have no wish to go in with little idea of the ground that lies ahead."

"What of the Jaffa who have not yet learned the truth about the false gods?"

"This is a war, but we will spare all we can."

"And in return?" Bra'tac asked. What would the Jaffa get in return for their help was the question at hand.

Algar relaxed somewhat and leaned back, stretching his wings out and then curling them back tight to his shoulders, "What do you want? Food? Healing supplies? Other supplies? Better weaponry? A safe world? Transportation?"

"I will consider what is most needed," replied Bra'tac. He paused and seemed to think a moment, before continuing. To Daniel, it seemed like the talk would soon be over. Algar and Bra'tac were alike in many ways, and Bra'tac was wary but not stupid, he would know that an alliance would be beneficial for the fragile Rebel Jaffa movement. "What is your conflict with the Goa'uld?"

"They are a blight and a stain upon this galaxy, a race of monsters, thieves, betrayers, and killers, who have no honor," said Algar, disgust dripping from his words, "They stole from us in ages past, from our hidden strongholds. Most of their technology today are ancient copies, with some distortions, of our own technology. They used our technology to fuel their rise to power, and we would see them fall as restitution."

"I see," said Bra'tac. Finally, he rose and extended his hand to Algar, "You have my support. All that I know of the Goa'uld I will freely share."