The Tok'ra's Gambit

by Tiffany Park

When Colonel Makepeace reports to General Hammond at the beginning of "Into the Fire," he says, "When scouting 254, sir, we came across several members of the Tok'ra. They told us the location of SG1." How did the Tok'ra know where to find SG-3 (or any other SG team for that matter), short of them having inside info on the SGC? (Doctor Raully, Colonel Makepeace, SG-3)

4. Chapter 4

After the Tok'ra briefed them, SG-3 spent the rest of the day hoofing it back to the Stargate. The Marines kept up a grueling pace, determined to reach Earth as quickly as possible. Makepeace now had reason to give thanks for the blue buffalo, rather than curse them for an impassable obstacle. The creatures had prevented his team from going too far afield. Even so, he knew SG-3 probably wouldn't reach the Stargate before nightfall.

The three Tok'ra had remained behind. Makepeace doubted it was because they couldn't have kept up. They simply wanted to stay as distant from SG-3 as possible, and didn't want to chance being seen with the Marines anywhere near the Stargate, even on this supposedly anonymous planet. No matter. Makepeace had all the relevant information they had been willing to provide.

Makepeace's rucksack now held the gate coordinates to Hathor's planet and blueprints to her base. According to those diagrams and other information the Tok'ra's inside agent had provided, an entire section of the pyramid had been converted into a replica of the SGC. Hathor obviously had one hell of a good memory.

The Tok'ra also claimed that Hathor's forces were still small, so the exterior of the pyramid was at present unguarded, and the inside only lightly guarded. No special armaments or fortifications had been mentioned. Details about the exact number of Jaffa presently in Hathor's service were sketchy. That was bad. However, just getting this much information out of Hathor's stronghold—not to mention actual, physical blueprints—without being caught must have required some serious contortions on the part of the Tok'ra's inside man. Makepeace gave the operative the benefit of the doubt and assumed that it had simply been too risky to send word of SG-1's captivity any sooner.

According to the Tok'ra, SG-1's interrogation had only recently begun. Apparently, Hathor had more subtlety than the rest of her misbegotten race. She had opted to try to trick SG-1 into believing themselves on a future version of Earth and willingly revealing information, rather than torturing them outright or turning them into hosts. How long she would continue using such benign methods was anyone's guess, but the Goa'uld that the SGC had encountered so far had never been long on patience. The sooner a rescue operation got underway, the better.

Dusk was deepening into night when the Stargate finally came into view. "Pomerantz, dial us home," Makepeace ordered as SG-3 came to a stop by the DHD. "Danko, send the GDO signal as soon as the gate opens."

Pomerantz started punching the glyphs for Earth. Makepeace took a moment to catch his breath and assess his team. They were all sweating and breathing hard, but their expressions showed their resolution and eagerness for action, a fierce desire to rescue their three lost comrades.

All his men were in superb physical condition and looked rock steady. A little rest, and they'd be good to go. Fortunate, since Makepeace believed that Hammond would want to mount a rescue mission immediately. Unless the month's schedule had changed drastically in the last two days, most of the SG teams were currently off-world, and Hammond would have to make do with whoever was available. SG-3 would undoubtedly be going into combat within the next twenty-four hours. Makepeace felt his adrenaline surge at the thought.

The Stargate exploded into shimmering blue life. Danko keyed SG-3's code into the GDO.

Makepeace said, "All right, listen up. If I know General Hammond, he's going to want to move on this information ASAP. You'll probably only have a few hours before we head out again, so I want everyone to hit the showers and the mess hall, and catch what rest you can. Be ready to be called up for combat at any time. The snakes won't keep SG-1 any longer than we let them."

He received an enthusiastic chorus of "Ooo-ah!" in reply, and didn't try to control the feral grin that came to his face.

Danko reported, "Got the all clear on the GDO. The iris is open."

"Come on, men, let's go!" Makepeace called to his team as he plunged into the event horizon. With a little luck and a lot of firepower, soon they would bring back three of their own.

*** End ***

Written April, 2004

Revised August, 2006