Chapter 23

After checking in with SG-3 and ordering them to return to base and report in before returning in the morning, the team spent an uneventful night in the cavern, taking turns at watch duty just in case.

In the morning they began their journey again, dragging a reluctant archeologist. Walking through the quiet city, the team thought back to the former inhabitants, victims of the Goa'uld's greed. They had survived, thankfully. Even without the aid that the team had promised, they had stood firm, just as Lunasa said, and they had not given in to Zipacna's demands.

Reflecting back on the young woman's courage, the four friends smiled to themselves, pride in their hearts. She had figured it out by herself. Sure, they had given her the clues she had needed, but she had put all those pieces together after they had left. She figured out what the device had truly been used for, and by doing so she had saved her people and led them home.

As they neared the end of the mountain pass, Teal'c noticed a dark thunderhead growing in the near distance.

"A storm approaches. We should quicken our pace."

"Aww, it's just another beautiful day in yet another forest," Jack groaned, cursing their luck.

They tried to double their speed while still keeping an eye on the dark clouds that seemed to have an oddly familiar shape to them.

"Ah, is it just me, or do those storm clouds have lights?" Daniel asked, starting to wonder if he'd missed his last appointment with his eye doctor.

"No, I see them too…" Sam said.

As they looked, the clouds dissolved to reveal…

"An Asgard mother ship!" Teal'c said, with much the same surprise as the first time he'd seen one on Cimmeria.

"Cool!" Jack said enthusiastically. "Let's hope its Thor…it's been too long."

When they neared the tree line they crept along cautiously, just in case the Asgard ship wasn't the only unexpected visitor. Jack pulled out his binoculars.

SG-3 had taken cover behind the gate, but they were there. He panned to the left toward the device, and there standing by it and watching in their direction was a small grey figure.

Jack walked right out into the open, his team following his lead as he waved an all's clear signal to SG-3.

"Thor! Buddy! Fancy meeting you here!" Jack called cheerily, but with a little suspicion. Each time he had run into the Asgard in the past had been an interesting experience… interesting, but not exactly fun.

"Greetings Jack O'Neill, Dr. Jackson, Major Carter, Teal'c," Thor said in his characteristically soft small voice.

"I really hope you don't need our help again already…" Jack said offhandedly.

"No, we do not require your assistance this time. We have only come to retrieve this device for further study…"

"Whoa, what? You mean you're going to take it with you?" Daniel sputtered. "We've only just found it and you've already had your turn! Don't we deserve the chance to study it too?"

"Will not your NID attempt to exploit such technology?"

"Them? Mess with time? Na…." Jack went silent and seemed to be thinking for a moment before he said, "ah yeah, actually they would be that stupid, wouldn't they?"

"Though it is true that the Asgard have studied this device before, we, like the other three races of the alliance, were drawn away to other matters before a thorough study could be made of the device itself," Thor explained. "The Ancients were afflicted with a terrible plague, the Asgard had to attend to the newly discovered Replicator threat, and the Nox and the Furlings secluded themselves for their own reasons. This planet and its device only just came to our attention once more, and it may prove very useful in our fight against the Replicators."

"O.K., I can understand that," Jack said, "You have a world to save, and that's fine. The thing is probably safer with you anyway. But there is one little problem. What are we going to tell the folks back home who are dying to come take this thing apart? They won't exactly congratulate us if we tell them that you took it."

"I understand your predicament." Thor answered carefully as he turned away to look at the surrounding landscape, thinking. "I think I may have a solution. We will take the device, but we will fire upon the planet after we do so. Leave your mechanical probe here, and as you leave, it will receive readings consistent with a great storm with very powerful winds, ones capable of forming what you call "tornados". If any of your people try to return, they shall find that the Stargate is buried." Thor turned back to face them. "Of course, tell your General Hammond the truth."

Jack thought this over for a moment while Sam and Daniel squirmed uncontrollably and the indignity of it all. Once again another really cool toy was going to be taken away from them before they could finish playing with it.

It's not fair!

They did, however, concede reluctantly that the study of the device might just do more harm then good in the long run…

"Deal," Jack said at last, "but, someday when the human race has finally gotten past futzing around with time travel, you have to let us look at it, O.K.?"

"Very well."

And with that, the team took one final glance toward the mountain range that surrounded Xanthus, smiled once more as they said a fond farewell to the memories of Lunasa and Lauria, and with mixed looks of longing and annoyance at the device that had caused it all, they dialed the gate, and returned home.

THE END

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