My thanks to Ray1, DJ Scales, Piper-Jacko06-Butterflygirl and Barbarossa Rotbart for their kind words. Sorry for the delay, but I had to deal with some real world issues.

Stargate: SVU

Chapter Five

'It really has not been my day,' Casey thought.

She sat on the floor in what appeared to be a prison cell aboard the alien ship. Casey sat with her back up against the wall, and her knees pressed up to her chest. She was still barefoot, and clad only in the doctor's surgical scrubs that her previous captors had dressed her in. And now she had been captured again, but by somebody else this time--Goa'uld, from the looks of them.

'Out of the frying pan, and into the fire,' Casey glumly thought, as she gazed at her cellmate.

Elliot lay on his back on the floor, still unconscious. Once he and Casey had ringed aboard this ship, they found themselves standing face to face with a group of armed Jaffa, who immediately shot the both of them. Casey's last thought, just as everything faded to black, was that she was dead. But when she woke up here, Casey realized that she must have been shot by those Goa'uld guns that they called a Zat.

'The Goa'uld….' Casey wearily thought. 'Christ, it was just last night that I was struggling with bad dreams about them, and now they're back for real. Now I wish I only had bad dreams to deal with!'

Elliot awoke with a start, and the fact that he was now awake set Casey further on edge. She still had no idea why he had turned on her like he did, or why he brought her to this terrible place--until she saw his eyes glow brilliantly for a few seconds.

"Oh my God, Elliot," Casey said, with a mixture of shock and sadness. She instantly recalled the Goa'uld snake creature in the tank of water in the lab where she had been held captive. The man who had tried to stab Casey had knocked over the tank when Elliot shot him. Somehow, the Goa'uld must have entered Elliot's body and took control of him.

"I am no longer Elliot," he said, his voice taking on a deeper, more alien tone. "I am Ke'tesh."

When he abruptly got to his feet, Casey did the same: she quickly moved away from him--yet there wasn't much room in the cell for her to hide. It was just a matter of time before Elliot caught her. And when he did, he was merciless. He grabbed Casey's arm and twisted it up behind her back.

Casey let out a cry of pain as Elliot pulled her back up against him. "Elliot, please, you're hurting me!"

"I am not Elliot," he told her. "My name is Ke'tesh. You shall do well to remember it, wench, for I shall not repeat it again. Tell me, does the Netian Empire rule your world? Do you serve Her Lord Empress Neith?"

Despite her pain, Casey's eyes shot open in amazement. "Neith? She's dead."

"LIAR!" Ke'tesh/Elliot roared, as he twisted Casey's arm even harder.

"I…am…not…LYING!" Casey said through clenched teeth. Her other arm was free, and she had reached behind her and grabbed Elliot's crotch.

Casey then squeezed.

Hard.

Now it was Ke'tesh/Elliot's turn to let out a cry of pain as he quickly shoved Casey away from him.

As soon as Casey hit the wall, she quickly turned around and braced herself for another attack. But it did not come, for the bars slid open, and one of the Jaffa who had shot them earlier entered, aiming his staff weapon right at Ke'tesh/Elliot.

"That will be quite enough from the both of you," a female voice said. It belonged to a beautiful blonde who was clad in a garish gold outfit. Casey's curiosity regarding whether or not she was a Goa'uld ended once she saw the woman's eyes glow unnaturally.

'Great, now I'm surrounded by them,' Casey sullenly thought, as she rubbed her injured arm.

"If there is any torture and killing to be done on this ship," the blonde said with an evil smile, "it shall be done by me."

"And you are?" Ke'tesh/Elliot asked.

"Osiris," she replied. With a glance at Casey, she added, "And she is correct: her Lord Empress Neith is dead, killed in battle."

"Impossible," Ke'tesh/Elliot muttered, sounding stunned.

"I take it you were in the service of Her Lord Empress?" Osiris asked.

"Yes. As are you?"

Osiris looked sad. "Alas, no. It is a long, regrettable story, Ke'tesh--one that started when Neith and her empire were defeated by Ra and vanquished from this part of the galaxy many centuries ago."

"I have noted the passage of time," Ke'tesh/Elliot said. "The Tauri have accumulated much technology during the time that I have slept. Does Ra now rule them?"

Osiris shook her head. "Even Ra has been vanquished…by the Tauri, no less. As I have said, it is a long story. But what of your story, Ke'tesh? How did you come to be on earth?"

"I was sent there on an undercover mission by my Lord Empress," he answered. "My mission was to spy on Ra, and gather intelligence on his forces on earth. But I was captured, and--once I was removed from my host--I was placed in a stasis jar for all time as punishment. I was recently awakened by the Tauri, who fight amongst themselves incessantly. It was during one such squabble that I saw my chance to escape, and here I am."

"You got hold of a Goa'uld communications device and called this ship," Osiris said. "How did you know we were here?"

"I didn't," Ken'tesh/Elliot replied. "I sent the emergency signal in the hopes that a Goa'uld ship might be nearby. I was very lucky."

"And very bold, as well," Osiris said with admiration.

"And, apparently, I am also now without an Empress to serve."

"That may not be the case," Osiris told him. "I understand that the Netian Empire still thrives even after Neith's death."

"If the fates are kind, then Amun should be the new ruler," Ke'tesh/Elliot said thoughtfully. "But if Mut takes command, then we are lost…."

"Is there any way of finding out?" Osiris asked, looking concerned. "Some way of calling, or--"

"If this ship is equipped with a hyper-drive, then we could go directly to the capital, Mount Tanis," Ke'tesh/Elliot told her. "I know how to get there. I could show you the way."

Osiris smiled broadly at him. "Really? That's very good."

'Oh my God, she's playing him!' Casey realized. She had seen people bluffing oftentimes enough in her job to recognize it anywhere. It looked as if Osiris was actually after the location Mount Tanis all along, and the Goa'uld that possessed Elliot played right into her hands.

After Osiris extended an invitation to Ke'tesh/Elliot to share dinner with her--to which the big dumb lug readily accepted--she then turned her attention on Casey. Osiris came over to Casey, who timidly backed up against the wall.

"And what do we have here?" Osiris said derisively, as she stared up and down at Casey. "A barefoot surgeon?"

"Her name is Casey Novak," Ke'tesh/Elliot offered. "She was a prisoner in the lab where I was also held captive. She is a prosecutor in the legal system of New York City. She knows nothing that's valuable to you. Get rid of her as you see fit."

Casey stared in horror at Elliot and briefly wondered how he could be so vicious to her like that. But then she realized that she was no longer truly dealing with Elliot. Casey recalled learning at the SGC about how the Goa'uld had the knowledge and memories of their host at their complete disposal. Casey felt heartsick when she thought about Stargate Command and its wonderful people. She wished she was there again. She wished she were anywhere but here.

"She knew Neith was dead, which was more than what you knew, Ke'tesh," Osiris teased. She reached out and caressed the side of Casey's face. "Your skin is so pale, just like that of a delicate doll."

'Oh, Jesus,' Casey thought with repulsion. She fought the instinct to slap the woman's hand away, since fighting back would really not be in her best interest right now. She was vastly outnumbered here. As much as Casey hated to admit it, her life was now in the hands of these monsters.

"You shall be my personal slave," Osiris said with a nod.

The very notion of slavery was appalling to Casey--let alone being a slave to one of these beings. But she was trapped on an alien spaceship traveling God knows where, and if there was ever any hope of her getting back home to earth, then Casey knew that she would have to stay alive. And, in this dreadful situation, staying alive meant doing whatever it took. And so, with that thought in mind, Casey Novak did the only thing she could do.

She bowed humbly, and then said, "It would be my pleasure to serve you, Osiris."

SG-1: SVU

Jacob was pleased that the fleet of Ha'tak ships had taken him straight to Mount Tanis. In fact, it initially felt too good to be true, and he almost didn't believe it. But the planet was in the orbit of binary suns, just like the report from SG-1 stated. And Jacob received further confirmation after doing a quick flyover of the largest city on the surface, with his ship still cloaked. The city of Mount Tanis resided on a large, flat mountaintop that was raised high above the blazing desert. He supposed the land mass was really a plateau, but that was no matter. Right now, he needed to take a closer look.

He parked the teltac on the outskirts of the city, leaving the cloak on, and left the ship wearing a light colored cloak of his own. It had a hood, which came in handy should he need to hide his face.

Entering the city itself was not very hard, for there were no guards at the gates. This made sense, since the main threat would come from above, anyway. And judging from the large fleet of Ha'tak class ships that were parked in the vast deserts surrounding the city--as well as the equally large fleets of Ha'tak ships in orbit--Mount Tanis could handle any major threat with one hand behind its back.

Once inside the city proper, Jacob saw throngs of people, similarly clad in cloaks, all headed in one direction. Jacob always prided himself for not following the crowd, but this time he would make an exception. Pulling his hood over his head--both for shade from the suns, as well as to hide his face--Jacob stepped into the line and walked with the crowds to wherever they were headed.

As he walked, Jacob was amazed at the magnificent temples and other humongous buildings that stretched into the arid sky. Some of these buildings were so tall that death gliders, which were on constant patrol, actually flew in-between several of these structures.

'A vast, well-maintained infrastructure, in addition to their considerable military might,' Selmak commented. 'It appears the Netian Empire is here to stay.'

'Not if the Tok'ra can help it, old friend,' Jacob replied in thought. 'Remember: the bigger they are, the harder they fall.'

They came to a broad expanse of space which looked like a park--yet it was heavily guarded by an army of Jaffa and some of the largest staff cannons Jacob had ever seen. Then he saw the reason for all of the protection: a stargate stood in the center of the park.

Several dozen Jaffa quickly got into position in front of the silent gate, with their staff weapons pointed at the empty ring.

'They must be getting ready to receive somebody,' Jacob thought. 'This would be a great time to get the ring address.'

'Allow me, Jacob,' Selmak said.

Jacob nodded his head--and blacked out.

When Jacob regained consciousness, he found himself standing several yards away from the park, in the shadow of one of the temples.

'We were drawing attention from some of the Jaffa,' Selmak told him. 'So I moved us along with the crowd.'

'Good going. Did you get the gate address?'

'Yes. I have it memorized--what little good it will do us….'

Jacob frowned as he continued walking with the crowds. 'What do you mean?'

'You saw it for yourself, Jacob. That stargate is heavily fortified. There is no way that the Tok'ra, or even earth's SG teams, could use it to sneak onto this planet. They would be shot down the moment they stepped through the event horizon.'

'Yeah, you're right,' Jacob admitted. 'But, we're here to collect as much information as we can. So, having the gate address can't hurt. It should help the SGC to at least locate Mount Tanis. We'll probably have to shuttle SG-1 here in the teltac, anyway--uh-oh….'

Jacob had noticed the crowds were all being herded into the largest of the temples on Mount Tanis. 'Something's up,' Jacob thought, 'something big.'

'You did say we were here to collect information,' Selmak reminded him.

'Right,' Jacob thought, as he continued walking with the throng into the temple. 'Might as well see what all the fuss is about….'

Whatever was happening in the main temple, it was a big event. It looked as if the entire population of Mount Tanis were being herded into the main entrance. Jaffa guards wearing serpent helmets and golden armor rode through the crowds on animals that could only be described as dinosaurs--raptors, to be more precise. Each raptor was the size of a horse, complete with a saddle, and--combined with its Jaffa rider--was an intimidating security force whose very presence guaranteed obedience from the crowds.

One of these raptors snarled abruptly at Jacob as he passed too close. He hurried along with the rest of the crowd, until he found himself pressed up against a stone railing that overlooked a vast stage about a story below him. The wall in back of the stage contained a massive golden relief that showed two arrows crossed over a shield. A group of scantily-clad young women were all bowed down in prostrate positions, facing inward, at the stage itself.

The crowds around Jacob began to quiet down when they all heard the high-pitched voices of an angelic chorus. A pair of enormous curtains on either side of the relief were abruptly swepted aside, revealing the chorus of singers, who were clad in robes as they stood on balconies that tilted back, like the stepped-shaped walls of a Mayan temple. They all sang their song in Goa'uld, repeating one verse over and over.

'Prepare to meet your new Lord Empress,' Selmak translated for Jacob.

'And here she comes,' Jacob thought.

The lone figure was a blonde woman who strode to the center of the stage, completely nude. She stood with her arms outstretched, and once she did this, the prostrate young women suddenly got to their feet. Jacob saw that each of the women held a piece of garment in her hands. They each placed their individual piece of clothing on the blond woman until she was dressed in a ceremonial robe.

One last woman ran up and placed a crown on the blonde's head--but she fumbled, and the crown fell to the stone floor. The blonde immediately produced a knife from under her robe, grabbed the woman by the neck and slit her throat right then and there. Dropping the crown had just been an accident, yet she had paid for it with her life.

Then, as the poor woman lay bleeding to death on the stage before her, the blonde calmly reached down, grabbed the crown, and placed it on her head.

'Dear God in heaven,' Jacob thought, as he watched the woman who had her throat slit die. She stared lifelessly up at the roof of the temple with wide, fearful eyes.

The chorus began singing a new, more triumphant verse--once more over and over. Selmak translated it to be: 'Behold, your new Lord Empress Mut.'

Mut stood holding her hands up high, with one of them still holding the bloody knife. Her eyes looked wild--ecstatic, with a frenzied pleasure that was mixed with pure insanity.

Everyone in the vast audience bowed down before their new ruler. Jacob did so as well--the very last thing he wanted to do here was to draw attention to himself.

'Her Lord Empress Mut appears to be just as bad as Neith,' Selmak commented.

'I'm afraid that Her Lord Empress Mut looks like she'll be much worse,' Jacob replied, as he recalled the sheer look of craziness on Mut's face just now. 'If there's one thing worse than a tyrant, it's an insane one. We had a madman on earth many centuries ago named Nero who ruled the ancient Roman Empire. He burned down Rome while he calmly fiddled the night away.'

'Perhaps Mut could do us a favor by burning down the Netian Empire,' Selmak said hopefully.

'If she doesn't take the rest of the galaxy with her, first,' Jacob gloomily responded. 'We need to get back to the SGC, old friend--pronto!'

SG-1: SVU

"Ok," Hailey announced. "Everybody stand by!"

McKay turned around from the computer console and gave her an annoyed look. "I was supposed to say that…."

Hailey rolled her eyes skyward in frustration. She figured McKay wouldn't see this gesture, thanks to the hazmat suit that she wore. 'There's not a moment's rest with this guy, is there?' she thought. 'He's got to be an obnoxious moron every waking second!'

But, remembering her promise to Colonel O'Neill, Hailey just plastered a smile on her face and said, "Forgive me, Doctor. Would you like to say it, now?"

"Well, there's little point in doing that," McKay muttered, now looking morose inside his own hazmat suit. "Since you've already said it…."

"Anytime you're ready, people," General Hammond's voice said on the loud speaker. He appeared slightly impatient as he sat in the glass booth that overlooked the lab with Woolsey beside him.

"We're ready, sir," Dr. Fraiser called up to him. Like everyone else in the room, Frasier wore a hazmat suit. She turned to Hailey, McKay and her medical team. "Would everyone please make sure your suit is sealed? Indicate this is so with a 'thumbs up' sign."

Once everybody gave a clear indication that their suits were sealed and working properly, Hailey glanced at McKay and said, "Want to do the honor, Doctor?"

McKay shook his head. "That's all right, Leiutenant. You go ahead."

'Well, what do you know,' Hailey thought, as she picked up the redesigned zat, 'he can be a halfway decent guy after all!'

"We've boosted the power in that zat so much that it might very well explode once you pull the trigger," McKay added. "And, should it blow up, at least I won't be the one holding it."

Hailey shot him a sidewards glance of pure and utter hatred. "Um, yeah, thanks for that, Doc."

She aimed the zat at the Goa'uld stasis tube before her. There was a young Marine inside, still frozen in stasis. Hailey said a quick prayer for him, then she aimed the zat at the stasis tube and pulled the trigger.

The intense power of the charged-up zat created a brief sparkling effect all over the stasis tube. Then the control panel on the side exploded, and the tube within began to fill with smoke.

That was Fraiser's cue. She and her medical team rapidly began to pry open the glass partition on the tube, exposing the coughing marine to the air. They lifted him out of the tube and onto a stretcher.

McKay ran over and consulted with a laptop computer that was hooked up to a section of the tube. He smiled broadly behind the clear plastic face of his hazmat suit. "The tanks are still full! The virus delivery system didn't work!"

"Just like what happened with Casey Novak," Hailey said, also smiling. "We've been able to repeat it here."

"How's that Marine, Doctor Fraiser?" Hammond asked.

"Fine, sir," Fraiser replied, as she checked his vitals. "We'll still keep him under observation, of course. But, so far, it's looking very good."

Hammond nodded. "Keep me appraised of his condition. Superb work, everyone."

SG-1: SVU

"I must commend you, and your team, General Hammond," Mr. Woolsey said. "You have a superb group of people working for you here."

Hammond could not help but smile with pride. "Thank you, Mr. Woolsey. It appears we may have just cleared our first hurtle with the Awakening Project."

"Yes," Woolsey said grimly. "But I fear that this was simply the first of many hurtles to surmount. With one of them being the size of Mt. Everest…."

"Care to elaborate?"

"We've been working on a way to safely wake up the Disappeared," Woolsey said. "But, once they are all awake, what shall we do with them, then? You're talking about several thousand people from many different countries, General. How do we begin to get them back to their homes, and what do we tell them, and their governments?"

"It seems to me, that in order to get these people back to their respective homes, you may well need the cooperation of their governments."

"But to do that would mean exposing the existence of the stargate program," Woolsey said.

Hammond grew thoughtful for a moment. "Mr. Woolsey, when the president appointed you to this job, was keeping the stargate program a secret one of the major requirements?"

"No, he never said any such thing. I was told by him to do whatever was necessary to get these people safely back to their families and homes. Of course, I still have to check in with him when I finally decide what to do."

"Then my advice would be to call in whoever you need to help you. Because this appears to be a far larger problem than either you, or the NID, is expected to deal with," Hammond said. "Especially if you're going to be dealing with the governments of the countries these people were taken from. You need a good diplomat for that."

Woolsey looked crestfallen. "I'm afraid there aren't too many diplomats in the NID whom I can think of, General."

"Then look outside the NID," Hammond suggested. "It's time to think outside of the box, Mr. Woolsey."

Leiutenant Sattersfield appeared at the doorway of the observation room. She snapped off a salute, which Hammond returned. "Yes, Leiutenant?"

"Sir, we sent a MALP to Ionia," Satterfield reported. "The place looks none worse for wear, no thanks to Osiris. But…we lost communication with the MALP when one of the Ionian Guards shot it, sir."

"They shot the MALP?" Hammond asked, surprised.

Satterfield nodded. "Yes sir. With an arrow right into the camera. Just before the camera was shot out, an angry mob of Ionians surrounded the MALP. They really didn't look too happy, sir."

Hammond nodded. "At least it sounds like they're all right. Very well, I'll review the footage from the MALP when I get up to the control room."

"Yes sir." Satterfield looked crestfallen.

"Something wrong, Lieutenant?" Hammond asked in a paternal tone.

"Sorry sir…it's just that…well, it looks like we've lost the Ionians as allies."

"Don't be so sure of that," Hammond replied. "Remember the old adage: time heals all wounds. So let's just give the Ionians some time before we contact them again."

Satterfield nodded, looking grateful. "Yes, sir. I'll keep that in mind."

They were interrupted when Sgt. Harriman entered the room. "I beg your pardon, sir. But you have an urgent phone call from Colonel O'Neill."

Hammond didn't like the way that sounded. O'Neill and SG-1 had gone to New York to pick up Casey Novak, which should have been a very simple assignment. "Very well, Sergeant, I'll take it in my office."

"Thank you for the advice, General," Woolsey said. "I shall take it to heart."

"Good to hear, Mr. Woolsey," Hammond replied, as he left the observation room with Satterfield and Harriman. Harriman had a few things for Hammond to sign, then they parted ways outside of Hammond's office.

Hammond picked up the phone on his desk and pressed the blinking button. "Yes, Colonel O'Neill?"

As he listened to O'Neill give him a rundown of what happened, Hammond quickly realized that the situation wasn't as bad as he had thought.

It was worse.

Much, much, worse.

SG-1: SVU

On the flight back to Cheyenne Mountain, Olivia sat alone in the back of the jet--lost in thought, and in bitter memories.

Seated just ahead of her was O'Neill, who spoke intently into the phone, as he filled in General Hammond on what had happened in New York. She didn't envy him. What happened with Elliot and Casey was bad enough, but to make matters worse, when Osiris' ship appeared over the warehouse, Harry Maybourne had used the mass confusion to pull another one of his disappearing acts. And the evasive Colonel Frank Simmons, the suspected mastermind behind Casey's abduction, was also still on the lam.

The desvastation of losing both Elliot and Casey had been struck home very hard for Olivia once they returned to the One Six Precinct. Major Davis was already there with a team of scary-looking men in civilian clothing. They were going around the SVU squad room, bullying everyone who was present at the warehouse--the eyewitnesses who saw the alien craft in the sky above--into signing nondisclosure agreements.

Munch just glared harshly at Olivia--as if the whole thing was somehow her fault--before he finally, grudgingly, signed the sheet of paper.

Olivia stared on at the grim scene, feeling hurt--until she noticed the faces of the various One Six personnel who stood around her; they all glared at Olivia as if she had somehow betrayed them. The look of utter contempt on their faces was the type usually reserved for members of the Rat Squad, and yet now they were giving it to Olivia. In that instant, Olivia realized that the members of the One Six no longer considered her as being one of them.

And as if things couldn't be any worse than that horrible moment of realization for her, Sam gestured with wide eyes at something behind Olivia. Olivia turned around and saw the last person on earth whom she had wanted to meet right then and there.

Kathy Stabler stared at Olivia with a furious glare that was frightening to behold.

"Where's my husband, Olivia?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Where's Elliot?!"

Olivia just stared back at her--feeling dumbfounded as well as being at a loss for words. All she could do was shrug helplessly.

"Don't give me that!" Kathy screamed at Olivia. "When you went missing, Elliot moved heaven and earth trying to find you!"

"I-I promise, Kathy, that I will do the same for him," Olivia swore.

"You're probably the reason he's missing!" Kathy screeched.

Enraged, she raised her fists and moved in to attack Olivia, but Cragen and Fin stopped her. They grabbed Kathy in a bear hug--it took the both of them to stop the angry, crying woman--and pulled her back from Olivia.

O'Neill had stepped in at that moment and said to Olivia: "C'mon, let's get out of here."

"Yes," Munch angrily said. "Maybe you should just go--all of you Men In Black bastards, just get the hell out of here!"

As she left with SG-1, Olivia was stunned at the fact that Munch had stared right at her when he said that.

On the car ride over to the airport, Sam had tried telling Olivia that it wasn't her fault; that she wasn't to blame for what happened to Elliot and Casey. Yet Olivia only half-heard her words. She had been running the scene in the lab over and over in her mind, wondering if there was anything different that she could have done.

And now, as she sat on the plane, Olivia thought that perhaps Kathy was right…maybe if Olivia hadn't freezed up when she first realized Elliot was possessed by a Goa'uld, she could have done something to prevent him from abducting Casey and taking off as he did.

'Oh, God…Casey….' Olivia thought, as she dismally placed her head in her hands. 'I had her in my arms! Why, oh why did I ever let her go?!'

Olivia felt a hand gently caress her shoulder just then. She glanced up, expecting to see Sam--but it wasn't her.

It was Daniel.

"Hi," he said, sounding slightly sheepish. "Uh, I hope you don't mind, but you looked like you could use a friend right about now, so…."

Olivia took his hand in hers and clutched it tightly. "Thanks. Because, God knows, I don't have too many friends left now…."

The tears came gushing like a geyser, and Olivia didn't try to stop them. Daniel reached out and pulled her in for a tight hug. "I know exactly what you mean," he whispered. "There have been plenty of times when I felt like I didn't have a friend in the world. And you know what, Liv? I was wrong. I had plenty of friends, people who loved and supported me, all along. That's what you need to keep in mind right now."

Olivia nodded as they broke their embrace. She was surprised to see a tissue being offered to her. It was Sam who held it. Teal'c stood behind her with a concerned look on his face.

"Thanks," Olivia said, taking the tissue from Sam. As she wiped her face, Olivia glanced at each of them and added, "Thanks for all of your support, guys. I really needed it right now."

"What happened wasn't your fault, Liv," O'Neill said as he came over to the group. "Mrs. Stabler's feelings may have been understandable, given the circumstances, but she was wrong to blame you for it."

"And they're not gone forever," Sam added. "We'll find Elliot and Casey."

"I appreciate it, really," Olivia replied. "But, one of the things I learned from hanging with you guys is that the universe is so big! Where do we even begin to look for them?"

"With Osiris," Teal'c chimed in. "You forget, Olivia Benson, that she also seeks the Asgard Slayer. Therefore, I have a feeling that our paths may cross yet again."

"Well, I just informed Hammond of what happened," O'Neill told the group. "And, he said that--"

O'Neill was cut off just as the entire cabin had suddenly become ablaze with an intense wave of bright white light. Olivia was stunned--for a split second, she thought the plane had exploded and they had all died.

But instead of heaven, Olivia now found herself standing beside Daniel, Sam, Teal'c and O'Neill in a room. It looked like a control room of some kind, with ultra modern control consoles and glowing crystals all over the place. At first Olivia thought that a massive, floor to ceiling window showed a view of the night sky. But she was wrong. On further viewing, she realized that the inky blackness beyond the window was deep space.

"Greetings, Colonel O'Neill," a high-pitched, nasal-sounding voice said.

"Thor!" O'Neill said joyously. "Good to see you, buddy!"

Olivia turned and saw a small, grey creature seated at one of the control consoles. It had large black eyes that were slitted upwards, and its head was completely bald. And although Olivia couldn't see it's entire body, she was fairly certain that the little guy was naked.

"Olivia Benson, meet Thor," Daniel said, by way of an introduction. "Thor is one of the Asgard."

"And Thor is an honest to goodness alien!" O'Neill said.

"'Alien' is a relative term, O'Neill," Thor said. Turning his head towards Olivia, he added, "However, it is a pleasure to meet you."

And when Olivia--who was still somewhat lightheaded and very bewildered over having been transported here without the usual Goa'uld rings--stared into the living face of a truly alien creature, she did the only thing she could do at that moment.

She fainted dead away.

SG-1: SVU

"And now," Her Lord Empress Mut grandly said, "let the games begin."

She took her seat in the regally decorated Empress' chair in the royal podium. Io'tan sat in a smaller, less decorated chair next to her.

Io'tan stared over at her Lord Empress with a slight look of consternation. The image of Na'tsh, one of her Priestess In Training, lying with her throat slit in the royal temple had been burned into her memory forever. Granted, the young woman had made a grave mistake by dropping the Lord Empress' crown, but that was a crime usually punishable with fifty lashes of the whip. To strike someone down like that, in the middle of Her Lord Empress' coronation ceremony--which was one of the most sacred--was irregular, to say the least.

Still, Mut had so far proven herself to be just as decisive as Neith, so perhaps this was a sign that she would prove to be an equally good leader of the Netian Empire.

Io'tan turned her attention to the game in the coliseum below them. It was the Maze: a twisting, winding collection of stone walls that created a labyrinth that led to a clearing in the center. This clearing contained a stargate. Io'tan wondered who was the unlucky person whom Mut thought should face the Maze this time.

The answer appeared when a man was led out to the beginning of the Maze by a pair of Jaffa guards. It was Nacre, the royal physician. Stripped to the waist and barefoot, Nacre moved in a timid fashion, looking all around him with wide eyes, as if seeking a friendly face in the crowds that were assembled in the seats above him.

When he saw Mut, Nacre broke from the Jaffa's grasp and bowed in the sand before her booth, which stood one story above him. "My Lord Empress Mut! Might I congratulate you on your ascension to your present rank? One for which you are truly most worthy! And might I ask, why am have I been placed in the Maze?"

"You speak of being worthy, Royal Physican," Mut said with a chuckle. "That is why I have asked you to confront the challenges of the Maze. For if you survive, then you will have proven yourself to be most worthy to serve me, your Lord Empress."

Nacre simply gave her a frightened look, which made Mut laugh. "Fear not!" she said. "The game is very simple, Nacre. Just find your way to the center of the Maze, to the stargate. Once you arrive at the stargate, use it to gate out of the Maze, and then you shall begin your new life by my side as my servant."

"Y-Yes, my Lord Empress Mut," he said. Although the anxious look on his face made it clear that he wasn't too sure about this situation.

"Oh, and Nacre?" Mut added.

"Yes, my Lord Empress?" Nacre asked, looking hopeful.

"If you try to come back out through the front entrance, the Jaffa will shoot you dead," Mut helpfully informed him. Mut then made a gesture with her hand to the Jaffa, who grabbed Nacre and tossed him through the front gate of the Maze.

"This should be fun," Mut told Io'tan with excitment.

They watched as Nacre fumbled his way through the Maze. The ground was like thick beach sand, which made running very hard, even for one who was barefoot.

It was as Io'tan watched Nacre fearfully come around a corner that she heard Mut say, "You're very quiet. Something on your mind?"

Io'tan wasn't about to express her displeasure with what happened during the coronation ceremony--not unless she wanted to join Nacre down there in the Maze. "I was just wondering if you had chosen your First Prime, yet, my Lord Empress."

"Yes, I have, Io'tan," Mut replied with a smile. "It shall be you."

Io'tan was so stunned, she could not hide it. "Me? But, my Lord Empress…I know nothing of tactical, or military affairs. Besides, the First Prime has always been a Jaffa."

"No longer, Io'tan. I shall sculpt the Netian Empire into whatever new form I see fit, just as I shall bend the very universe to my will. Now that I am Lord Empress, we have enterd an exciting new time, my friend. Be grateful that you are a part of it."

Mut glanced down in the Maze at Nacre, who had stopped because he looked lost. "This farce has continued long enough," she said to a Jaffa who stood by her side. "Release the Thunder Lizards."

"Thunder Lizards!" the Jaffa called down into the Maze.

The two Jaffa who guarded the front entrance of the Maze quickly ran to safety through a side door that sealed shut behind them.

A larger gate rolled opened on the opposite side of the coliseum, and a pack of Thunder Lizards came running into the clearing just before the front entrance to the Maze. These creatures were more wild than their domesticated cousins, who served as riding animals for the Mounted Jaffa Corps. The Maze Thunder Lizards were bred especially for the hunting of whatever prey they found in the stone labyrinth. They now stood in a tight circle as several of them growled at each other. But it wasn't long before they picked up Nacre's scent, and the pack of them went charging into the Maze after him.

The crowds surrounding the Maze roared their approval at this change of events.

Nacre had actually stumbled into the clearing within the Maze where the stargate was. He had run up to the DHD and rapidly began dialing--until he realized that the DHD was fixed so that it could only dial out to one specific address. He quickly dialed the pre-set address, and the gate roared to life, with the event horizon momentarily purging outwards before it settled down into a shimmering pool of light.

Nacre happily ran up the ramp that led to the stagate--

--just as one of the Thunder Lizards jumped onto it right in front of him. It shrieked at him, causing Nacre to turn around and run back off the ramp.

But that was when the second Thunder Lizard leapt onto the ramp, blocking any escape for Nacre in both directions.

Nacre, who looked petrified, tried to jump off the side of the ramp. But just as he did, the first Thunder Lizard attacked, chomping down on his head and upper torso and lifted him up. The other Thunder Lizard then bit down on Nacre's flailing legs, and the hapless man was caught in-between the two predators.

"Look, look!" Mut hysterically cried. "His arms are still wiggling!"

The two Thunder Lizards began pulling on Nacre as if he were a chew toy, and when a third lizard leapt into the fray, Io'tan demurely closed her eyes. Nacre may have been a little toad, but she still had no desire to watch him be torn limb from limb.

When she heard the crowds, along with Mut, abruptly start cheering wildly--Io'tan knew that it was all over. She opened her eyes and saw the lizards now wolfing down the bloody remnants of what was once the Royal Physican.

A male slave came up to the royal podium and bent down, offering Her Lord Empress a tray filled with drinks and snacks.

But Mut was still too caught up in the proceedings below to even notice him. She turned to Io'tan and said, "He died very well, did he not? I just wish I had more people to throw in there."

Then, taking notice of the slave, Mut stood up and made to take a drink from his tray. But instead of taking a drink, Mut suddenly shoved the young man over the railing.

Io'tan watched in horror as the slave fell to the sandy ground below. The soft earth prevented him from getting any broken bones. But nothing would help save him from what was to come.

The Thunder Lizards, sensing the presence of new prey, came roaring out of the Maze. They jumped on the man before he could even scream, ripping him to shreds with the razor-sharp talons in their claws and feet.

Mut gave another joyous cry as she applauded the brutal killing, as though it were just an entertaining sport.

"I think I shall enjoy being Lord Empress," she told Io'tan with a giggle.

Io'tan just nodded her head absently, as she felt her insides grow cold with fear.

'What kind of monster now rules the Netian Empire?' she nervously wondered. 'And how many of us will she kill before it is all over?'

To Be Continued...