My thanks to Barbarossa Rotbart, Ray1, randomblueeydblonde, D.J. Scales and piecesofyourheart for their kind words. They're always appreciated.
Stargate: SVU 2
Chapter Six
"Let me see," Osiris said, as she stepped back to give Casey a critical look. Then she nodded, pleased with her choice of clothing for her new personal slave. "Yes, that will do very well."
'Oh God,' Casey thought, as she stared at herself dismally in the full length mirror. Having discarded the surgical garb at Osiris' command--and good riddance to it--Casey was now clad in a ridiculously scant outfit that was created entirely of her mistress' choosing. Now she actually missed wearing the surgical garb, for at least it covered her up!
Casey's new outfit consisted of nothing more than a bikini top with an ankle-length loincloth that exposed the sides of her bare legs. The material was a royal blue in color, trimmed with gold. Casey also wore a gold plated armband on her right arm, along with a collar on her neck. The collar was gold, and it was ornately designed, but the damn thing was still a collar--a constant, uneasy reminder that Casey would, from this point on, be kept on a leash like a dog.
There was one item that Osiris forgot: shoes. Casey wasn't sure if she should bring the subject up with her, or just keep her mouth shut. She was thinking it probably would be a good idea to just keep her mouth shut and let Osiris continue to dress her as if she was a living Barbie doll. It might be insulting and humiliating for Casey, but she presently saw it as being the only safe route to staying alive.
'Still, as much as this situation sucks, it still beats being dead,' Casey thought grimly. 'And, if nothing else, it can't get much worse than this….'
Osiris came over and ran her hand over Casey's bare torso. "You are so light-skinned," she said, in a sultry tone, "just like a porcelain doll. My little porcelain doll."
'Oh…my…God….' Casey thought, with complete and utter repulsion, as Osiris ran her hands all over Casey's body. All Casey could think of doing was to just stand there and stare wide-eyed at herself in the mirror. 'Maybe she'll get bored and stop…I hope….'
Osiris smiled as she tightly embraced Casey from behind. She placed her chin on Casey's bare shoulder and said, "Does this shock you, my little porcelain doll?"
'With you perverted freaks, nothing shocks me anymore,' Casey thought with disgust. Yet she wisely left that notion unspoken. "Uh…no, my mistress…."
"You must understand, that I am actually a male Goa'uld," Osiris whispered into Casey's ear. "But although I now reside in a female host, my taste is still for…little porcelain dolls…."
'OH SWEET JESUS!' a stunned Casey thought, as Osiris began to gently nibble on her ear lobe.
The door slid open just then, and the peltac commander entered. "My Queen!"
"WHAT?!" Osiris roared in anger.
The peltac commander, now seeing clearly the scene he had just interrupted, took a timid step backwards. "I humbly beg your pardon, my Queen. But I have urgent news that you must hear."
'Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!' Casey thought with relief, as Osiris abruptly released her and stormed over to the man.
"It had better be good," Osiris snarled.
"We have arrived at Mount Tanis, my Queen," the peltac commander said, with a bow. "The Goa'uld, Ke'tesh, has led us directly to the system."
"Has he?" Osiris said thoughtfully. "Are we still under cloak?"
The peltac commander nodded. "As per your orders, my Queen."
Osiris nodded. "Then proceed to Mount Tanis. I shall join you on the peltac shortly."
The peltac commander bowed and left the room. Osiris turned towards Casey and said, "Come with me."
Casey quickly fell into step behind Osiris as they left the private chambers and went down the corridor. When they arrived at the peltac, Casey saw Elliot/Ke'tesh standing there, clad in sandals and a golden robe--along with a feathered headdress that made her almost burst out loud with laughter. The sight of poor Elliot in that outfit actually made Casey feel better about her own skimpy garment.
'Just what is it with the Goa'uld and their love of tacky clothing?' Casey wondered.
Casey noticed that Elliot/Ke'tesh stood under guard by a pair of angry Jaffa. If this bothered Elliot/Ke'tesh, he didn't show it as he watched the peltac crew desperately scramble around the room with a smug look on his face.
"What is going on?" Osiris demanded.
"My Queen," the Peltac commander said, frantically pointing at Elliot/Ke'tesh, "he has secretly sent a message to Mount Tanis on a coded frequency!"
"Really?" Osiris said, as she regarded Elliot/Ke'tesh with bemusement. "Shame on you, Ke'tesh. You know that is a wasted effort. As long as we are cloaked, they will never find us."
"So you say," Elliot/Ke'tesh replied, still smiling as if he were in on a private joke.
Osiris walked around Elliot/Ke'tesh, as though inspecting him. While she did this, Casey felt as if someone was boring a hole in the back of her head. She glanced over her bare shoulder, at the Jaffa who stood guard over Ke'tesh. From the way they were both leering at her, Casey didn't have to be psychic to read their pornographic thoughts regarding her body.
'It just keeps getting better, doesn't it?' Casey wearily thought, as she gazed out the main window of the peltac. Regardless of her dire situation, she was still momentarily stunned by the awesome sight of the spaceships in orbit of Mount Tanis.
Then Casey noticed that one of the pyramid-shaped ships lit up as bright as a sun. It only lasted for a second, but the burst of light created a sparkling wave of luminosity that emanated outwards from the ship, stretching out towards everything--
--including them.
Casey glanced at Osiris and her crew, who were so distracted by Elliot/Ke'tesh that they never noticed this new threat approaching them. And Casey wondered if she should just keep quiet.
"Smile all you like," Osiris said to Elliot/Ke'tesh. "But now that we are at Mount Tanis, your usefulness to me has come to an end."
Casey's eyes flared in horror when she saw Osiris make a gesture to her Jaffa, and they aimed their staff weapons right at Elliot/Ke'tesh. Casey couldn't very well let Elliot be killed because of the soulless monster that possessed him. And so she decided to play the only card she held at that moment.
"My mistress," Casey said, as she glanced out the window. The strange, luminous wave was now closer to their ship. "My mistress, excuse me!"
"Silence, slave!" Osiris snapped at her.
"My mistress," Casey insisted, as she pointed out the window, "please, look!"
When Osiris and her crew finally did see the oncoming wave of energy, Elliot/Ke'tesh was quickly forgotten as they ran to their consoles.
"What is that?" Osiris demanded of Elliot/Ke'tesh.
"Your doom," he replied.
"Get us out of here!" Osiris roared at her crew.
But even Casey could see that it was now too late, as the wave was right on top of them. In the melee that erupted around her, Casey braced herself against a console, until she felt a hand grab her by the wrist.
It was Elliot/Ke'tesh. "A control console is the last place you wish to be," he told her. "Come."
He dragged her across the peltac and shoved Casey into a bare alcove that had no electronics. "It should be safer here," he said, with a glance out the window. The wave was all that could be seen now. "Brace yourself."
'Oh, Christ,' Casey thought, just before the wave hit them, 'this is gonna hurt….'
SG-1: SVU
"Meet my new First Prime," Mut said, gesturing at Io'tan, who stood next to her.
Io'tan carefully watched the faces of the Jaffa who had been called to this briefing before the throne of Her Lord Empress. If any of the Jaffa commanders had a problem with her being the First Prime, they did not show it--but then, perhaps they were just being prudent.
"One other matter," Mut added. "Since the Tauri were responsible for the death of Neith, I want to keep them under constant surveillance."
She pointed at a group of Ha'tak commanders who stood out front of the group of Jaffa. "You five shall go to the Tauri system. Remain out of sight behind one of the larger planets, if you need to, but monitor the Tauri. Do not move against them unless commanded directly by me. Understood?"
The five Ha'tak commanders all bowed obediently--then they left the throne room when Mut dismissed them, along with the other Jaffa commanders.
"That went well, don't you think?" Mut said happily to Io'tan.
Io'tan didn't know what to think, let alone say. For all she and Mut knew, the entire group of Jaffa could be plotting to kill them both. Yet there was something else bothering her so much that she just had to say it. "My Lord Empress, the five Ha'tak commanders whom you sent to the Tauri system. They were all loyal to Amun."
Mut surprised Io'tan when she smiled broadly. "Yes, I know. And all the better to get them as far away from Mount Tanis as possible, yes?"
Io'tan nodded in understanding. So the new Lord Empress wasn't a complete dolt after all.
"And if something should happen to them--an incident, say--while they are in the Tauri system," Mut added. "Then it will be all the better for us when they are dead, my dear Io'tan."
Io'tan gave her a wary look. "If I may ask, does My Lord Empress know of an upcoming incident that is about to happen?"
"No," Mut cheerily replied. "But I shall certainly keep watch for the first incident that occurs, so I can use it to my advantage."
The Jaffa in charge of planetary defense strode into the throne room at a brisk pace. "Forgive me for interrupting you, my Lord Empress," he said, with a bow. "But the Ha'tak fleet in orbit above us have captured a rogue Alkesh vessel that was operating under a cloak."
"Is that so?" Mut asked. "Have the prisoners brought down here to me."
"At once, my Lord Empress," the Jaffa said with a bow. Then he left the throne room.
"It appears, my dear Io'tan, that this 'incident' we were just discussing has already occurred," Mut said, as a broad smile crossed her face.
SG-1: SVU
When Olivia awoke, she found herself staring into Sam's smiling face. "Hey, Liv," she cheerfully said. "Welcome back."
Olivia glanced around her, and saw that she was lying down on a very comfortable bed in a sparely furnished room. She sat up and shook her head slightly.
"You ok?" Sam asked.
"Sam, I just had the weirdest dream," Olivia said. "You had introduced me to an alien--a real, live alien, and I…."
Olivia stopped talking once Sam had slowly started to shake her head. "It wasn't a dream, Liv."
"You mean I really did meet--?"
Sam nodded. "We're still aboard his ship."
"Oh, my God," Olivia said with a gasp. "I fainted on him, didn't I?"
Sam nodded her head again, this time with a slight smile. "Don't worry; Teal'c caught you before you could hit the floor. How do you feel now?"
"Embarrassed as hell," Olivia replied. "Is Thor mad?"
"The Asgard are kind of mellow," Sam told her. "They sort of take stuff in stride. So don't worry about it. You feel well enough to get up?"
Olivia got off the bed--and once she did, it folded up and slid neatly into the floor. She stared at the floor and could not see any seams.
'I'd like to see Ikea beat that!' Olivia thought, as she followed Sam out of the room.
Sam led her back into the main control room of Thor's ship. Olivia could see the earth through a window. O'Neill, Daniel, Teal'c and Thor all stood talking by one of the windows. Thor barely stood waist-high to O'Neill, and he was completely naked.
"All this highly advanced technology, and the Asgard still don't wear clothes?" Olivia whispered into Sam's ear. "Who're are these guys, anyway, the pervs of the galaxy?"
Sam instinctively started to laugh, until she quickly stopped herself with a shake of the head. "These 'pervs' are the only thing preventing earth from being attacked by a Goa'uld invasion force, Liv," she whispered back. "So please try and be polite, ok?"
Olivia held her hands up. "Hey, I'll be the epitome of politeness."
Teal'c was the first to see the women approach them. He gave Olivia a broad smile. "It is good to see you are well, Olivia Benson."
"Thanks to you, Teal'c," Olivia replied. "Sam told me you were the one who caught me. Thank you."
Teal'c nodded at her.
Olivia then turned to Thor. "And, um, I'd really like to apologize to you for fainting like that before."
"I keep telling you, Thor," O'Neill jokingly said, "you gotta lose that Halloween mask, it keeps scaring the kids!"
Thor simply gazed at O'Neill, deadpan.
"That's a just a joke," O'Neill feebly explained.
"If you say so," Thor responded coolly. Then he glanced at Olivia. "There is no need to apologize, Detective Benson. Your reaction was quite understandable."
Olivia was surprised by that answer. "Really?"
"Yes, it is common for lower life forms like yourself to be overwhelmed by things that you don't understand," Thor politely explained. Then he turned and walked away with O'Neill and Teal'c, deep in conversation.
"He just insulted me, didn't he?" Olivia nodded sullenly as she watched Thor take a seat at the main control console. "That little pri--"
Sam just waved a finger at her. "Nuh-uh! He's the big bad protector who keeps the wolves at bay for us, remember? Think happy thoughts."
"Um, he's actually a pretty decent guy," Daniel added, "once you get to know him, that is."
"But why does he have to be naked?" Olivia muttered, as she followed them over to the control console. "That's just creepy, you know?"
"It's their way," Daniel explained. "They don't have sex, anyway, so…." When Olivia gave him an exasperated look he added, "Uh, no, seriously! Instead of sex, the Asgard clone themselves."
"You'd be out of a job if you were a cop on their planet," Sam added, smiling. "No sex crimes there. No crime whatsoever, come to think of it."
"Settle down, children, please!" O'Neill told them, before Olivia could respond to Sam. Turning to Thor, he gestured at Olivia and added, "It's this new kid. Since Olivia joined the team, she's been riling up Carter to no end, and now she's even got Daniel going!"
"Hey!" Olivia cried, annoyed.
"Sir!" Sam complained.
"What?!" Daniel said.
"Is everyone ready?" Thor asked.
"Ready for what?" Olivia wanted to know.
The answer came when everything faded away in a brilliant white flash of light, and Olivia abruptly found herself standing with SG-1 and Thor in the conference room at Stargate Command.
"Oh, Jesus," Olivia said, feeling woozy, "I had barely gotten over the last trip…."
Rodney McKay stood chatting with Jennifer Hailey by the snack table, and when he saw the group appear before him, he let out a frightened, shrill scream as he grabbed the young lieutenant.
Although stunned at the transportation--not to mention the sight of Thor--Hailey still angrily slapped at McKay. "Get the hell off of me!"
Yet Rodney ignored her and fearfully pointed at Thor--as if the small Asgard was about to kill and eat him. "W-W-What is that?!"
"That's just Thor," Janet Fraiser said in a soothing tone, as she came around the side of the table with an equally alarmed Satterfield. "He's an Asgard, Rodney. You've read about them in the SG-1 mission reports, remember?"
"Welcome back, SG-1," Hammond said, as he emerged from his office. "And welcome, Thor."
Thor nodded his head at Hammond. "Thank you, General Hammond."
"An…alien?" Rodney asked, stunned, as he stared wide-eyed at Thor.
Thor turned to him and replied, "Once again, I find the term 'alien' to be rather--"
But Thor never finished.
Because Rodney McKay had fainted dead away on the floor.
"Oh, jeez…" Janet said, as she quickly bent down to tend to him. "Rodney? Wake up, Rodney. Earth to Rodney…."
"Believe me," Olivia muttered. "I know exactly how he feels…."
SG-1: SVU
Casey let out a grunt as she was shoved to the floor in front of the blond woman who sat casually on a throne. Osiris and Elliot/Ke'tesh had landed on the floor beside her, after having been treated just as roughly by the Jaffa.
The woman on the throne regarded them with an icy smile. Casey saw another woman who stood off to the side of the seated woman, as if in deference to her. The second woman appeared to have a kind face. However, Casey learned the hard way to never judge a Goa'uld strictly on their outward appearance.
"And who might you be?" the woman on the throne asked.
"My Lord Empress Mut," Elliot/Ke'tesh said, rising just high enough to bow respectfully to her on his knees. "I am Ke'tesh. An agent sent by Neith to spy on Ra on Earth."
"You're extremely overdue," Mut said, shaking her head. "Ra is ancient history--as is my dear sister Neith."
"Yes, my Lord Empress, I know," Elliot/Ke'tesh replied humbly. "I was captured by Ra, stripped of my human host, and placed in stasis as punishment. But I have returned to serve you."
Casey shook her head in disgust. Just a few hours ago, Elliot/Ke'tesh was bad-mouthing this Mut character, and yet now he was sucking up to her. 'So much for loyalty among the Goa'uld,' she thought derisively.
"And how can you possibly serve me now?" Mut asked, sounding skeptical.
Elliot/Ke'tesh arose and pointed at Casey. "That woman is Tauri. She has been sent here to spy on you. But by releasing a coded message, I have stopped the evil plans the Tauri have launched against you."
"What?!" Casey cried.
Mut got up from the chair and made a gesture with her hand, and one of the Jaffa warriors effortlessly lifted Casey to her feet and held her there by the back of her neck.
Mut then came over and casually inspected Casey, who was still clad only in the skimpy garments that Osiris dressed her in. "Is what he says true? Are you a Tauri spy?"
"My name is Casey Novak, and I am from earth," Casey admitted. "But I'm no spy, I swear! I was abducted by--"
"Silence, slave," Mut commanded.
As much as Casey wanted to keep talking, she instantly quieted down when the Jaffa who held her by the nape of her neck squeezed his hand, causing her great pain.
"I am Osiris." Her eyes flared in the Goa'uld fashion as she rose to her feet in defiance. "And this Tauri is my slave!"
After another slight hand gesture from Mut, a second Jaffa warrior smashed the butt of his staff weapon into Osiris' stomach, sending her straight back down to the floor.
"You are both my slaves," Mut corrected Osiris, who lay gasping on the floor. She glanced at the warrior who struck Osiris down and said, "Take her to the dungeon."
As an enraged Osiris was hauled away, Mut turned to Elliot/Ke'tesh and said, "Rise."
When he did so, Mut added, "You have done very well, Agent Ke'tesh. The Netian Empire is in your debt."
"I wish only to continue serving the greater glory that is the Netian Empire, my Lord Empress," Elliot/Ke'tesh intoned seriously. His act was so good, that Casey almost believed him.
"And you shall, Agent Ke'tesh," Mut said, as she seductively ran her hand along his chest. "You shall serve me personally."
'Oh my God,' Casey thought, as she watched in horror at the sight of Elliot/Ke'tesh and Mut sharing a passionate kiss. 'Oh, God, Elliot….'
The woman with the kind face stepped forward and indicated Casey with her hand. "If you are finished with this little one, my Lord Empress, I shall be happy to take her--"
"No, Io'tan. I have further use for her," Mut replied, as she came back over to Casey. She glanced at the Jaffa warrior who continued to hold Casey and added, "Take this Tauri spy to the main podium. Have the technicians there prepare for an empire-wide transmission by me personally."
"No, no, please! I'm not a spy, I swear to you!" Casey cried, as the hulking Jaffa effortlessly picked her up and hauled her away over his shoulder. "Please believe me! PLEASE! I BEG YOU!"
Yet her pleas fell on unsympathetic ears, as Mut and Elliot/Ke'tesh, completely ignoring Casey, once again embraced lustfully.
Only Io'tan stared after Casey with a look of sorrow on her face. And the last thing Casey saw, just before the Jaffa carried her off into the cold darkness below, was Io'tan discreetly mouthing two words at her:
'I'm sorry.'
SG-1: SVU
O'Neill and Teal'c had placed the unconscious Rodney in a chair at the conference table, where Janet had administered some minor medical aid to him until he woke up.
"I'm fine," Rodney insisted, as she waved Janet away. "Really, I'm fine, I'm--"
He then let out a startled shriek when he saw Thor, who sat across the table from him. Thor merely gazed back at Rodney with mild interest as Sam, who sat at the table next to Olivia, just shook her head in disgust. For their part, both Lieutenants Hailey and Satterfield looked on at Rodney's antics with great amusement.
"You're not gonna faint again, are you?" O'Neill said, sounding annoyed.
"No, no, I'm fine," Rodney said, as he took a deep breath.
"Really?" O'Neill prodded.
"Yes," Rodney replied, as he gave Thor another worried look. "Really."
Hammond nodded, as he took his usual seat at the head of the table. "Good to hear, Doctor. Now if we can just--"
The general quarters alarm blared as Sgt. Harriman's voice said over the base's intercom, "Incoming wormhole!"
'Now what?' O'Neill wondered, as they all quickly left the conference room and went downstairs to the stargate control room.
"Who is it?" Hammond asked the sergeant, who sat at his usual console in front of the windows.
"It's Jacob Carter, sir," Harriman replied. "We just got his IDC now."
"Let him through," Hammond commanded.
In the gate room, the numerous multiple shields of the iris folded away until the shining event horizon within the stargate was fully revealed. A lone figure emerged from the silvery brightness, clad in a light tan cloak.
O'Neill couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Jacob Carter, a retired Air Force General, who now looked for all the world like a sorcerer from one of those Lord Of The Rings fantasy movies.
As he and the others entered the gate room, a smiling O'Neill said, "You know, Jacob, if you grew a beard and got a really big hat, you'd look just like that wizard guy from those Rings movies--Gandalf the Grey."
After greeting Carter with an affectionate hug, Jacob held out his arms, as if to better display his dusty cloak. "Like it, Jack? It's the latest fashion on Mount Tanis."
There was a moment of stunned silence at the mere mention of that name. Carter broke the silence when she said, "Dad, you've been to Mount Tanis?"
"Yeah," he said, growing solemn. "On orders from the Tok'ra, I found the place--and, after seeing what I saw there, now I wish I hadn't found it!"
"We were just about to have a briefing upstairs, Jacob," Hammond said. "Why don't you join us?"
"Be glad to, George," Jacob replied. "And, boy, have I got a story to tell you guys!"
SG-1: SVU
"Are we ready?" Mut asked, as she strode onto the main podium, which was a large stage where her Lord Empress made speeches that were sent throughout the Netian Empire proper.
The Jaffa commander nodded. "We are, my Lord Empress." He gestured to the center of the stage. "As you can see, the Tauri spy has been trussed up as per your specific orders."
Mut nodded as she made a quick inspection of the Tauri woman, Casey Novak, who was securely bound with restraints at the wrists and ankles. Mut was pleased to see that Novak had even been gagged. Two Jaffa warriors held her up in the center of the stage. "Very good. Make certain that she is on screen at all times. "
"My Lord Empress," Io'tan asked humbly. "May I ask what are you doing?"
"Sending a message, my dear Io'tan," Mut replied, as she pulled a knife from its sheath on her leg. "Sending a message."
"To the Tauri?"
"To the universe," Mut said. She held up the knife, which was the very same blade she had used to cut the throat of the stupid little bitch who dared to drop her crown earlier today. She would be getting a lot of use from it. "My sister Neith saw the universe as being infested, and she was right. The universe is infested, and it must be cleansed--starting with the Tauri. They were Neith's slayers, so they shall be the first to die."
Mut gazed at the massive Goa'uld communicator that sat before the stage, which was used to send messages galaxy-wide. "I am now ready."
One of the technicians nodded at her. "As are we, my Lord Empress."
Mut then walked over to the bound woman, pulled back her head with one hand, and laid the blade across Novak's exposed throat. Novak let out a muffled scream from under her gag, and tried to wriggle out of Mut's grasp--but to no avail.
"Prepare yourself," Mut whispered into Novak's ear. "For we are about to make history!"
SG-1: SVU
When Sam's father was finished telling his tale--which was at times both fascinating and horrendous--there was an uncomfortable silence amidst the large group of people in the conference room. Olivia didn't really know what to say, if anything. The whereabouts of Casey and Elliot were on her mind, as always, and she wanted nothing more than to start looking for them. Yet, as hard as it was for her to admit, she realized that finding the Asgard Slayer was the priority mission right now.
'If the Asgard are wiped out,' Olivia thought, casting a gaze at Thor across the table, 'then there'll be no earth for Elliot and Casey to come home to. Jesus, I actually miss hunting scumbags with the rest of the SVU. At least back in those days, things seemed so much more simpler….'
"I take it you didn't see the Asgard Slayer anywhere on your journeys?" O'Neill asked Jacob.
Jacob shook his head. "Sorry, Jack. If it was there, I didn't see it. Which is not to say that it's not there. You've got to understand that Mount Tanis is a massive, sprawling city." He glanced at Olivia. "And the planet does orbit binary suns, Detective Benson, just as you've stated in the report."
Olivia, appreciative of the fact that he confirmed her vision, smiled gratefully at him. Olivia had instantly liked Jacob the moment she had met him, and was massively jealous of Sam that he was her father. Watching them hug warmly in the gate room before had made Olivia feel a twinge of regret that she never had a loving father who cared for her as much as Jacob obviously did for Sam.
"It's enough that you got the gate address of Mount Tanis," Hammond said.
"Yeah, Selmak memorized it," Jacob said. "But it's not going to do you a lot of good. The Mount Tanis gate is heavily guarded, George. And by 'heavily guarded' I don't just mean by just a squad of bored Jaffa. They have a battery of staff cannons permanently aimed at the gate. And the Jaffa guarding it number in the hundreds."
"Shades of Neith," Daniel said with a visible shudder. "Sounds like Mut is every bit the master tactician her sister was."
"Actually, Daniel--no, she isn't," Jacob corrected him. "Whatever genius tactics we're seeing now are merely left over from Neith."
Daniel looked confused. "So if Mut is not a tactician, then that's good, right?"
"From what I've seen of her, Mut is just flat out nuts," Jacob said solemnly. "Think of the worst possible situation: an insane person gets hold of a weapon. Well, this situation is a hundred times worse than that; because, instead of just one weapon, Mut now controls the firepower of an entire intergalactic empire."
"She may not know what she's doing," O'Neill summed up for Jacob, "but she can still cause of hell of a lot of damage."
Jacob nodded. "Exactly, Jack."
"If Mut is as far gone as you say," Janet said, "then there's a good chance that she may not even be aware that she has the Asgard Slayer. Which could work in our favor."
"There's the chance that, having just seized control of the empire, Mut may not have had the time to take stock of her armory yet," Hammond responded. "Thor, you've been mighty quiet. I was wondering what your thoughts were on this."
"Not very good, General Hammond," the Asgard replied. "The presence of a weapon such as this does not bode well for my people."
"Have you, or your people, even heard of such a thing as an Asgard Slayer?" Sam asked.
"No, we have not, Major Carter," Thor said. "And I can not even imagine what design or shape such a weapon might take."
"Well, there's one way of finding out," O'Neill told him. With a glance at Jacob, he added, "We may not be able to gate to Mount Tanis, but we can hitch a ride aboard a--"
"Incoming wormhole!" the voice of Sgt. Harriman said over the speakers, as the SGC went to full alert once more.
"Again?!" O'Neill said. "Oh, for crying out loud, this place is turning into Grand Central Station!"
"Might as well see who's knocking on the door this time," Hammond remarked, as he got up from the table and went downstairs.
Olivia went downstairs to the stargate control room with the rest of the crowd from the conference room. However, before she could go halfway down the steps, someone grabbed her arm and stopped her.
It was Jacob. He waited until they were both alone on the steps, then he said, "I read in the report about what you did for Sam on Kelora, Olivia. You saved her life, just when Nacre was about to cut her open like a damned lab rat. I just wanted to thank you for saving my daughter."
Olivia swelled up with emotion as she shook his hand. "It was my extreme pleasure, Mr. Carter. Sam and I have become very close in the past few days."
"I'm very glad to hear that," Jacob said with a smile. "Oh, and please call me Jacob, ok?"
Olivia nodded. "Jacob it is."
"OH, MY GOD!" Janet cried from the control room.
"Oh, God, no!" Sam said with despair.
"THAT BITCH," O'Neill roared with fury. "THAT STINKING BITCH!"
"Uh-oh," Jacob said, as he and Olivia quickly continued their descent down the steps. "This doesn't sound too good…."
When Olivia arrived in the control room with Jacob, she saw the crowd were all standing around the monitors that hung from the ceiling in front of the massive window. Something had been playing--Olivia just briefly caught an image of a woman--until a burst of static had cut it off.
Sam immediately started looking frantically around. "Liv? Where's Liv? Did she see this?"
"She's right here, Sam," Jacob told her. "She was just speaking with me on the steps. We missed it, whatever it was. What just happened?"
"No," Janet said, shaking her head at Olivia. "You don't need to see this…."
"Yes, she does," O'Neill insisted. "That was her friend, Janet."
"See what?" Olivia asked, her voice trembling. "What happened?"
Daniel stepped out in front of the crowd and came up to Olivia. He firmly grasped both of her hands and held them in his own. "We received a message from the Tok'ra through the stargate," he explained calmly. "The message contained a video packet--a picture and sound message from Her Lord Empress Mut. Mut was making a grand speech, as the Goa'uld are wont to do, and Casey was there; she was in the message with Mut. Um, the end is kind of fuzzy--"
"How can you say that?" McKay asked, shocked. "We all just saw with our own eyes how that poor woman got--"
"We didn't see anything!" Sam angrily told him. "The message got cut off at that point, Rodney!"
"Indeed," Teal'c intoned. "It was hard to determine what had occurred at that precise moment."
Hammond turned to Harriman and said, "Run the message again, Walter."
"Yes, sir," Harriman grimly said.
"Brace yourself," Daniel warned Olivia. "It's very hard to watch…."
Olivia girded herself as the screens showed the imposing face of Mut. Olivia recognized the woman from the vision she had inadvertently received when Neith had used the ribbon device on her.
"My fellow citizens of the Neitian Empire," Mut intoned. "I offer you grave news. We have found, hidden among our ranks here in Mount Tanis, a Tauri spy!"
Olivia's eyes grew wide with horror when the image shifted to that of a young, bound and gagged woman who was clad in what appeared to be skimpy slave garb. Then Olivia let out a sharp gasp when she realized that she knew who the woman was.
It was Casey.
Mut pulled out a knife and placed it against Casey's exposed throat. Casey let out a muffled scream as she tried to struggle--but between her bonds, and the two Jaffa warriors who held her, it was a futile gesture.
"First the Tauri have cowardly assassinated my beloved sister Neith," Mut continued. "And now they send their wretched spies into our cherished capital! With these actions, the Tauri have proven themselves to be the scourge of the galaxy, and the time has finally come to cleanse the heavens of them! We are at war until the planet earth is wiped clean of the Tauri scourge. And we begin now with this wretched spy! Kel mal tak Tauri!"
"NO!" Olivia screamed, just as she watched Mut raise her blade to slit Casey's throat. Daniel pulled her in close as Olivia hugged him tightly.
Then it appeared Mut was halted by a shout from a male voice, and then the picture burst into static.
"Shol'va--traitor," Teal'c said, translating for the group. "That was what the second voice shouted just before the end."
"You think somebody may have tried a coup attempt right there?" Hammond asked him.
Teal'c shrugged his shoulders. "Anything I say now would be conjecture, General Hammond. But I believe that is the most likely reason why the message was interrupted in the manner that it was."
Sam stared hopefully at Olivia. "So Casey might have been saved, Liv."
"If nothing else, Liv, we didn't see her die right then and there," Daniel told her. "So there's still hope."
Olivia wanted nothing more than to sit down and cry right now. But she could not give in to despair. Not now.
"At least we now know where Casey is," she said quietly. "On Mount Tanis. Maybe Elliot's there, too."
"I'd be willing to bet on that," Daniel told her.
"Jack, George, if we're gonna go--the sooner, the better," Jacob told them. "From the looks of things, not everybody in Mount Tanis is happy with Mut being in charge. And if that's the case, then we'll be dealing with a lot of chaos once we get there."
"Sometimes a little chaos is a good thing," O'Neill said. "Especially if you're sneaking into a place under the radar. But I agree with Jacob, sir. We need to get going now."
Hammond nodded. "Very well, you have a--"
He was cut off when yet another alert blared in the control room.
"Oh jeez!" O'Neill said, annoyed. "Now what?!"
"Maybe we should start charging a toll for use of the stargate," Satterfield jokingly suggested.
"It's not the stargate, sir," Harriman said, as he regarded the computer screen on his console. "We have an incoming message from NORAD. NASA's deep space satellite telescopes have picked up five Ha'tak Class Goa'uld ships on an attack vector headed straight for earth."
"Five?!" Hammond said, shocked.
The moment of stunned silence in the control room was broken by Thor, who murmured, "Interesting."
O'Neill glanced down at the Asgard, who more than made up in technology and firepower what he may have lacked in physical height. "You wanna go see what they want, little buddy? I mean, as long as you're here…."
"Yes, O'Neill," Thor said with a slight nod. "Let's go greet them."
Olivia was startled when Thor, O'Neill and Teal'c all vanished from the control room within a flash of light.
SG-1: SVU
There was the familiar flash of light, and O'Neill found himself back aboard Thor's ship with Teal'c. O'Neill noted that, out of SG-1, only Teal'c had joined him.
"You wanted to travel light this time, huh?" O'Neill asked Thor, who was seated at the central control console.
"I did not wish to risk any more people than I absolutely needed to, O'Neill," the Asgard replied. "Just in case this encounter turns bad for us."
"You both outgun and outclass them, Thor. Why would this--?" O'Neill started to ask, until it hit him. Goa'uld Ha'tak ships wouldn't openly attack earth unless they thought they had an advantage. And the only advantage would be: "The Asgard Slayer. You think these guys are armed with that thing?"
"If they are," Thor said, reading his console, "I see no indication of it on long range sensors."
"If they have the Asgard Slayer, then this combat may well be very brief," Teal'c grimly said.
"Well, thank you very much, Mr. Cheerful!" O'Neill shot back at him.
Teal'c merely cocked an eyebrow at O'Neill.
"Here they come," Thor said.
O'Neill and Teal'c glanced up at the main window, which displayed the impressive sight of five Ha'tak ships in tight formation rapidly approaching. They all bore the insignia of Neith: twin crossed arrows over a shield.
"Mut doesn't waste any time, does she?" O'Neill muttered. "Barely five minutes after she declares war, we're under attack."
"A sign of rashness, perhaps?" Teal'c asked.
"Or testing our defenses?" O'Neill countered. "We'll see in a moment."
"Goa'u'd vessels," Thor called out to the attacking ships, "your very presence in this system is in direct violation of the treaty of--"
He never got to finish. Right at that moment, all five Ha'tak ships opened fire on the Asgard vessel. The advanced shield technology of Thor's vessel prevented any of the missiles and lasers from hitting. Still, it provided for an impressive light show as the multiple explosions flashed and flared against the invisible shield in front of them.
"You get the feeling they don't like us?" O'Neill asked Teal'c.
"The feeling," Thor said, as he pressed a button, "is mutual."
The Asgard vessel opened fire at that moment, and it was a sight to behold. One laser beam blasted it's way straight through one of the Ha'tak vessels, destroying it instantly in an exploding fireball. With that ship gone, Thor focused on a second, striking it with two lasers until that also exploded as well.
The remaining three Ha'taks halted their advance and continued to fire at the Asgard vessel. When Thor effortlessly blew away a third Ha'tak, the surviving Goa'uld ships did the only thing they could do.
They retreated.
"Good shooting," O'Neill said, genuinely impressed.
Thor sat back in his seat. "They did not appear to be armed with any Asgard Slayer that I could detect."
"Unless the Asgard Slayer is an antipersonnel weapon," Teal'c said. "One that must be used directly on an Asgard."
"Chances are, Hammond's right," O'Neill told him. "Mut may not have had time to check her arsenal yet. Which is all the more reason we need to get to Mount Tanis, ASAP. Thor, old buddy, care to give us a ride?"
"I believe it shall be better if I remained on guard here, O'Neill," Thor replied. "In case Earth falls under attack again."
"Guard our flanks," O'Neill said with a nod. "Good tactic. Ok. We'll hitch a ride to Mount Tanis with Jacob."
"Good luck, O'Neill," Thor said.
There was another brillant flash of light, and O'Neill and Teal'c found themselves standing in the SGC control room once more.
SG-1: SVU
What neither O'Neill, Teal'c, Thor, and the assaulting Goa'uld never realized was that their brief battle had been closely watched by a third party. Floating within the orbit of Mars was a surveillance satellite that was so small, it could easily fit within the palm of a hand. It was also camouflaged to look like an asteroid--just another floating hunk of rock that drifted through space.
And so it did for the most part, just floating around aimlessly just like any other asteroid--until the very moment that it detected the epic space battle, the mini satellite immediately trained its telescopic camera on the distant conflict. The camera was designed to pick up the slightest details of an object that was millions of miles away. And so the still pictures it took of the battle were crystal-clear in their clarity.
Once the battle in the Sol system was over, the little satellite spun around, and a small dish spread open on its backside. The very pictures that it took were then light-beamed to a relay station in the orbit of Pluto. The relay station was no larger than a toaster, and was also disguised to look like an asteroid. It stored the pictures in its memory and sent out a special automated signal into deep space. It kept doing this, over and over, until an Alkesh ship streaked by close to the orbit of Pluto.
The Alkesh never even slowed as it caught the message that was beamed to it from the mini-relay station. Once the message was received in full, the crew spun the ship around and raced back home.
SG-1: SVU
"Chevron Five, locked!"
Olivia stood waiting impatiently before the stargate as it dialed out. She was clad in a light tan desert version of their BDUs, as was the rest of SG-1. Sam and Daniel stood with her. Hailey and Satterfield were directly across from them, with Teal'c--who had his staff weapon slung casually over his shoulder.
"Chevron six, locked!" Harriman called over the speakers.
O'Neill conferred quietly with Jacob. The plan was to gate to the planet where Jacob had parked his teltac ship. Then, using the teltac, Jacob would pilot them to Mount Tanis. Assessing the situation as best they can, SG-1 would try and either retrieve or destroy the Asgard Slayer.
"Chevron seven, locked!"
The stargate roared mightly as the newly created event horizon exploded outwards momentarily, before settling down.
"Godspeed, people," Hammond said over the intercom.
"All right, SG-1," O'Neill said. "Let's saddle up and go."
'Retreive or destroy the Asgard Slayer,' Olivia thought, as she walked up the ramp towards the event horizon. That was the main mission. But once she arrived at Mount Tanis, Olivia and the rest of SG-1 would also be looking for Elliot and Casey.
'Casey, sweetie, please hang on,' Olivia thought. 'We're coming for you.'
Of course, Olivia grimly realized that there was the very good chance that Casey was already dead. She may have just witnessed Casey's death at the hands of Mut in that message.
'If Casey is dead,' Olivia darkly thought, just before she stepped into the glimmering stargate, 'then God have mercy on the psycho bitch who killed her. Because, if I get my hands on Mut, I won't show any mercy at all!'
SG-1: SVU
The intelligence officers who collected the data from the asteroid satellite quickly examined it and determined that the pictures needed to be seen by their lord immediately. Thankfully, their lord and master was available for a meeting, and he listened with rapt attention as they showed him the pictures of the battle in the earth system between the Asgard ship and the Ha'tak vessels.
Once the briefing was done, their lord stood up from his chair and walked over to view one of the pictures up close on the wall. It was a photo of one of the Ha'tak vessels that fought the Asgard--and it had an insignia that had not been seen in this part of the galaxy for eons: two arrows crossed over a shield.
"The insignia of Neith," he said. His goatee curled up at the edges as he smiled thoughtfully. "It appears that the great huntress of the heavens has returned."
He then strode away from the pictures on the wall and gazed out the window, which showed the vastness of space.
"Interesting," Ba'al said, sounding bemused. "Very interesting…."
To Be Continued...