Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate SG1 or any of its characters.

Chapter 9

"SG5 were in the village with Dr Dalton when an armed group of men came through the gate" Hammond explained as he sat in the briefing room with SG1 and Dr Frasier.

"And they're demanding to see us?" Sam asked confused.

"That didn't make any sense to SG5 at first but then when they finally explained who they were it all fell into place"

"And who are they?" Jack asked.

"The leader of the men said his name was Valeran"

"The father! You have to be kidding" Jack exclaimed having had more than enough of that family.

"If you don't go through the gate in the next forty minutes they'll kill the hostages"

"I suppose we'd better go then" Janet said.

"Janet you only just came out of a coma yesterday, you're not really in any condition to go through the gate" Jack said.

"Jack, I'm fine and if I don't go they may those people"

"Unfortunately Colonel she's right" Hammond said before Jack could protest again and before Daniel could join in.

"Fine"

- - -

"Colonel O'Neill" Jack was greeted immediately by SG5 as he came through the gate "We only have fifteen minutes to the dead line"

"I know, where are these guys?"

"In the village hall"

Jack winced remembering the last time he had been in that building. It had been just after Sam had collapsed, before Janet had arrived with her medical team and put Sam in her own tent. The building had been full of the villages sick and dieing and their families. To make the memory worse he had had to sit there with an unconscious Sam.

SG1 and Janet followed SG5 to the village and to the pain hall, arriving with time to spare.

"Valeran!" Jack shouted from where he and his team stood outside the village hall "We're here, now what do you want?"

"Are you all present, Dr Frasier as well?"

"All five of us"

"Then you must come in here"

"That's not gonna happen"

"Then I will kill these people"

"Jack" Sam said from his side "I don't think we have a choice"

"Neither do I, you up for this Janet?" Jack asked in concern.

"Yeah"

"Alright come on" Jack said ignoring the silent protests coming from SG5 as he headed for the village hall. He walked inside and immediately recognised Valeran stood near the door. There were twelve other armed men in the room and twenty hostages. Jack recognised some of the armed men from his recent trip to their home world.

"We're here now, why don't you let these people go?" Jack said gesturing to where the hostages were all grouped on the floor in the corner.

"No, not yet" Valeran said and Jack inwardly sighed. He had been hoping Valeran would let the hostages go which would have made escape a lot easier. Valeran gestured to two of his men who quickly disarmed SG1 and Janet. "Go sit in the opposite corner on the floor and do not try anything foolish Colonel"

Jack did as he was told without protest, although Valeran seemed perfectly calm Jack could see the barely restrained anger in his eyes. This was a volatile situation and one wrong move could mean the death of every hostage, including them. The rest of his team followed his example, Daniel automatically manoeuvred himself so that Janet was sitting in between himself and Jack..

- - -

They had been sitting on the floor in the village hall for almost an hour when Valeran finally approached them again with a menacing look on his face.

"Now I am going to kill one of you so the rest may feel part of the pain I feel when I think of my children and what you did to them"

"They would have killed us" Jack defended.

"Do you think your excuses mean anything to me? My son and daughter are dead and you are the ones responsible, that is all that matters" Valeran shouted, the anger Jack had seen in his eyes beginning to make it to the surface.

When Valeran spoke again it was much more controlled "I am going to kill one of you now, you may decide amongst yourselves who it shall be"

TBC