I'd like to thank Barbrarossa Rotbart, Ray1 and MiaRose 156 for their feedback. It's always appreciated.

Stargate: SVU 2

Chapter Ten

When Teal'c emerged from the stargate he quickly crouched down into a defensive posture with his staff weapon at the ready. On either side of him, the young Lieutenants Hailey and Satterfield also did the same, raising their P90s up as they carefully scanned the area before them.

Teal'c realized that the MALP, which sat on the ground before them, had already cleared the area--but a lifetime spent practicing the fine art of combat had taught him to never relax your guard, not even for a moment. Fortunately, the area remained secure--at least what lay directly before them.

In the skies above, however, was another matter.

Large black columns of smoke stretched up into the skies before them, as Teal'c heard the distant sounds of gunfire--staff weapon fire, to be exact. Teal'c realized that all of this had been blocked form the MALP's view by the high walls of the maze.

"Oh, crud," Jennifer Hailey said, as she stared up at the smoke. "Are they at war?"

"So it would appear," Teal'c said grimly.

Olivia Benson, Daniel Jackson and Doctor Fraiser all emerged from the stargate next.

"The area is secure," Teal'c informed them.

"Yeah," Daniel Jackson said, as he and the other new arrivals all stared anxiously at the columns of smoke. "But what's that?"

"We do not know," Teal'c said. "We have also heard gunfire."

Rodney McKay abruptly emerged from the gate with a yelp--while walking backwards.

"First time I've ever seen somebody come out of the gate like that," Satterfield said, looking impressed.

McKay kept stumbling back, as if unbalanced, until Dr. Fraiser reached out with her arm and stopped him. "You all right?" she asked.

After he quickly patted down his body with his hands, McKay nodded. "Yeah, I think so. I mean, everything's still here…I think." He glanced up at the group with an outraged look and added, "S-She pushed me!"

O'Neill and Major Carter emerged from the gate last, and when he saw her, Dr. McKay stabbed a finger at Major Carter and whined, "You pushed me!"

Major Carter had a displeased look on her face as she merely shook her head at him.

"Yeah, and I'm glad she did," O'Neill replied, "or else you never would have went through!"

"But I wasn't ready! She had no right to--" McKay abruptly made a face as he sniffed the air. "Ugh, what's that smell?"

O'Neill came over to Teal'c. "I trust the area is secure?"

"The immediate area is indeed secure," Teal'c replied. He then gestured at the columns of smoke. "But, as you can observe, the city itself appears to be having…problems."

Everyone flinched when they heard the distant blast of an explosion.

"Any idea what it could be, Teal'c?" Major Carter asked, as she joined them. "Obviously, it's a firefight--but who's fighting who?"

Teal'c shook his head. "The identities of the combatants--as well as why they are fighting--is unknown to me, Major Carter."

"Carter, there's only one way in and out of this maze, correct?" O'Neill said.

"Yes sir."

"Then we'd better get moving," O'Neill said.

"Oh, God," Rodney muttered with disgust as he stared down at one of the dead raptors--or what was left of it--that lay beside the ramp. "That's where the smell's coming from…."

Doctor Fraiser glanced down at the raptor and then smiled broadly over at Olivia Benson and Major Carter. "Against you two," she said proudly, "that thing never had a chance!"

"The gate backwash sliced him clean in half," Jennifer Hailey said, as she gazed down in awe at the dead raptor. "Oh, man, I wish I could have seen this."

"I wish I wasn't here when it happened," Olivia Benson muttered.

"You and me both, Liv," Major Carter added.

"All right, let's move," O'Neill said. "Single file. Teal'c, you watch our backs."

"Wait, wait a minute!" Rodney McKay said, waving his arms. He frantically gestured at the dead raptor. "What if there are more of these things lurking around?"

"They were usually kept locked up, Rodney," Major Carter told him.

"Usually?" Rodney McKay shook his head at her. "That's not very comforting, Sam!"

"We have guns, McKay," O'Neill said, and he appeared very impatient. "Now shut up and let's get moving!"

"No, you guys have the guns," Rodney McKay shouted back. "I'm the one here without any--"

He stopped talking when Teal'c grabbed his collar and pulled him in so close that they were face to face. "If there are any raptors still on the loose," Teal'c calmly said, "then would they not be attracted by the sound of your voice?"

Rodney McKay just nodded in wide-eyed terror at him.

Teal'c nodded back at him. "Then perhaps it would be best if you kept silent, Doctor McKay."

When he nodded his agreement once more, Teal'c released him. McKay quietly and meekly took up position next to a smiling Doctor Fraiser. Teal'c glanced over at O'Neill, who gratefully mouthed the words "thank you" at him.

Teal'c nodded back in acknowledgement.

They left the maze without further incident.

SG-1: SVU

It took some convincing, but Casey eventually managed to get Char'el to go along with her idea--as crazy as it sounded. Casey freely admitted that she didn't really have any idea how they were going to bust Io'tan out of her prison cell, but it was when Casey told Char'el that the Priestesses-In-Waiting all had a better chance of surviving with Io'tan back in charge that he was finally persuaded.

It was pretty obvious that Char'el--this hulking, intimidating warrior--cared very deeply for these girls in such a tender, big brotherly way that Casey couldn't help but be touched by it. Just speaking about the possibility of anything bad occurring to the girls was enough to give Char'el panic fits.

The first order of business, since Elliot/Ke'tesh had told Char'el that they would be coming after them, was to move all the young Priestesses to a place of safety. But that was easier said than done. A look outside the windows, at the growing chaos in the streets, clearly indicated that places of safety on Mount Tanis were rapidly dwindling. As she considered the grim impossibility of this situation, Casey despondently thought, 'Now I almost wish that Char'el had left me tied up in the storage room….'

And that was when the idea struck her.

"Char'el," she said, turning to face him. "What about the place where you captured me earlier? The storage area under the pool?"

"What of it?" he asked, as he turned away from consulting with one of his Jaffa.

"Would that be large enough to serve as a hiding place for all the girls?" Casey asked. "If so, it would be perfect, because it's underground--which might offer more safety from the firefight out there."

"And it is near the pool area, which is the last place anyone would go in these unsettled times," Char'el said with a nod. "And yes, Casey Novak, it is large enough for everyone. It goes much further back from where you chose to hide. It would be a perfect hiding place. Come, let us get them there!"

Casey figured that gathering up all of the Priestess-In-Waiting would be an epic and time consuming affair--but she was delighted to see everything go very smoothly, thanks to the older girls, who served as chaperones for the younger ones. Watching the large group of young priestesses assemble into two neat rows, Casey realized something else: there were no slaves in the employ of Io'tan and her Jaffa.

When she mentioned this fact to Char'el, he said, "Io'tan never wanted slaves. She did not want the Priestesses to be waited on, but rather to do things for themselves. She felt that made them more self-sufficient."

"That they are," Casey said, with an approving nod, as she watched the girls calmly march out of Io'tan's private chambers. They were protected by an outer ring of armed Jaffa warriors who marched in synch with their charges. "Where do these girls come from?"

"Many of them are daughters from slave families, cast-outs and orphans," Char'el explained, as he and Casey began to run in step with the others. "Io'tan had been secretly giving them sanctuary, right under Mut's nose--even when Mut was the High Priestess--in an effort to provide them with a better life."

The journey to the storage area was uneventful, thanks mainly to the fact that the ongoing violence had cleared the streets. The large armed contingent of Jaffa were also a big help; the very sight of which easily scared off the few rioters they came across. And when they encountered a Jaffa check point, Char'el was able to bluff his way through without incident--while Casey stood meekly by with her head held low in her best slave impersonation.

Casey let out a sigh of relief once everybody was safely inside the storage area beneath the pool. Char'el was right; the area stretched further back than Casey had initially thought.

As she stood by the doorway, watching as a squadron of fighters made a strafing run on a section of the city further down from them, Casey slowly shook her head. She was surprised that the Jaffa loyal to Mut didn't clamp down on all this violence yet. It almost looked as if they were hoping that the riot would burn itself out--but that didn't sound like the standard tactics of the Netian Empire Jaffa, who were known for their brutality.

Char'el came over to her and said, "Have you given any thought as to how we will free Io'tan from prison?"

Casey stared back at him, wide-eyed. She hadn't been giving that too much thought because, quite frankly, she still had no idea how they were going to rescue Io'tan.

Char'el held up what looked like a small computer chip. It had a flat, smooth side that was opaque, and dark purple in color. "This will open her jail cell, if you press it up against the wall in the right place. However, we still need to get inside. We have plenty of armed Jaffa, but I would rather keep them here to guard the Priestesses."

"Is there another way in there?" Casey asked. "A back door?"

"Yes, but that back door can only be opened from the inside," Char'el answered. "We would still have to fight our way through the front entrance, which is heavily guarded."

For some odd reason, a scene from Star Wars popped into Casey's mind just now. Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, who were dressed up in the white armor of the evil storm troopers, had placed handcuffs on Chewbacca in an attempt to gain access to the Death Star's detention level by pretending Chewbacca was their prisoner.

'If only it were as easy as that,' Casey thought. But then she smiled as she realized, 'Wait, what if it was that easy?'

"Why do you smile, Casey Novak?" Char'el asked.

"Because I think I've got a plan," Casey replied. "You can be Han Solo to my Chewbacca…."

Char'el just gave her a puzzled look. "Chew…what?"

SG-1: SVU

Ke'tesh smiled as he viewed the violence and devastation outside the royal temple. When he saw another explosion from down the street, he realized that the riots were escalating.

'Good,' Ke'tesh thought. 'Very good.'

While Mut was still convalescing in bed, Ke'tesh had quietly assumed control of her forces--all under the pretense of still following the orders of the stricken Lord Empress; when the fact was Ke'tesh had never even tried to consult with Mut on any of the decisions he had made.

He deliberately held back on Jaffa reinforcements, which kept the Jaffa who were fighting in the streets overwhelmed. Ke'tesh also deliberately pulled back on the number of strafing runs by the death gliders--and while he made these obviously stupid decisions, which only encouraged the riots to grow stronger, Ke'tesh helplessly blamed them on Mut.

The result was that Ke'tesh had planted the seeds of dissent within the Jaffa commanders, whom he hoped to count on when he eventually wrested control of the empire from Mut. If he could just keep this up for a little longer, just keep stoking the fires until Ke'tesh had created just enough discord for a coup to be acceptable--a coup that would see him as the new Lord Emperor.

Yet as he walked towards the private bedroom of Her Lord Empress, Ke'tesh was surprised to see her angrily fling open the doors. "WHAT IS HAPPENING?!" she screamed. "WHAT IS GOING ON, HERE?"

"My Lord Empress," Ke'tesh said, feigning concern. "I am so glad that you are all--"

"Who dared to throw things at me?!" she shouted at him.

"The Tauri women's escape from the maze has caused mayhem in the streets, my Lord Empress," Ke'tesh reported. "I have tried to quell these insolent rioters, but dared not use the full measure of Jaffa force, for it is not my--"

"They dare to riot, in the streets of Mount Tanis?!" Mut asked with shock, as she glared out at some of the fighting through a massive window. "As if it wasn't enough that these ungrateful wretches tried to strike me down?! Kill them, Ke'tesh. Have the Jaffa kill them all!"

Ke'tesh bowed. "At once, my Lord Empress. The rioters will be squashed like--"

"No, not just the rioters!" Mut screamed. "All of them! All of the slovenly wretches who infest Mount Tanis must be killed! I want the Jaffa to leave no home untouched! From now on, Mount Tanis shall be a royal residence only! Only I am worthy enough to walk these streets, alone!"

Ke'tesh was taken aback by that order of genocide, but he still nodded. Many of the Jaffa had families living in Mount Tanis, and Ke'tesh doubted very much that they would kill their own loved ones--especially to appease an unpopular and crazed Lord Empress who had already narrowly survived an assassination attempt. And just by giving this order, he may well be condemning Mut to her well-deserved doom.

'It appears that the time for me to assume command of the empire has come much sooner than expected,' Ke'tesh thought with delight.

SG-1: SVU

Casey and Char'el had slowly and carefully made their way through the riot-ravaged streets of Mount Tanis, until the burly Jaffa gently grabbed the petite woman's arm. "This is close enough," Char'el said. "We should get ready."

Casey allowed him to lead her into what looked like a dead end alleyway. Char'el looked very uneasy as he said, "If I am to bring you inside as a captured slave, then it would be best if you…."

"If I looked like a captured slave," Casey said with a nod. "Don't worry about it, Char'el. Just do what you have to do to make it look good, ok?"

"In that case," Char'el said, as he offered her the chip which Casey had dubbed the keypad. "You should keep this in a safe place on your person."

"Check," Casey replied, as she instinctively went to slid the keypad into her pocket--only to discover that she had no pocket. She glanced down at her skimpy slave outfit and, in that instant, realized why the slaves on Mount Tanis were dressed this way: there was no place on their scant outfits for them to put an item, thus making it hard for them to steal anything.

'Leave it to the fascist-minded to be so thorough,' Casey angrily thought, as she slipped the keypad so that it rested snugly between the material of her bikini top and her bosom.

When she glanced at Char'el, Casey was amused to see that he had averted his eyes while she was busy making adjustments to her top. She told him that she was ready, and he held up a thong strip, looking even more uncomfortable. He was a fascinating study in contrasts--a pure, fearless warrior with a gentle, decent side. The more time Casey spent with Char'el, the more she liked him.

"Uh--front or back?" Casey asked.

"Back," he said guiltily. "I shall free you once we arrive there."

"How should I act as you bring me in there?" Casey asked, as her wrists were tied behind her. "Should I be fighting you?"

"Pretend as if you were hit with a zat'nik'tel. Do you remember what you have to do, once you are inside?"

"Use the keypad to get out of my cell, then find Io'tan, free her, and then bring her around to the back door," Casey recited. "Where you will be waiting for us."

When he was done, Char'el placed a hand on her bare shoulder and gently turned her around so that she faced him. "Very well. Ready?"

When Casey nodded, Char'el easily hefted her up. Casey then spent the rest of the trip lying prone over his shoulder with her eyes closed--which was actually hard to do, thanks to the steady drone of explosions and gunfire in the distance. But Casey calmed herself as best she could and settled into her role. Never in her life had Casey ever imagined that she would be going undercover like this. This was the sort of thing that Olivia always did, while Casey--who was a lawyer by trade--was always stuck in the office. But then, she never imagined being abducted by aliens and getting sucked into the intrigues of an intergalactic empire, either.

'I just hope I don't screw it up,' Casey desperately thought. 'So much is at stake here--so many lives depend on us. I hope I can pull this off.'

Her journey soon came to an end as Char'el entered a structure and began to speak to someone about her. "An escaped slave," Casey overheard him say. "I caught her trying to escape by the--"

"I'll take her," another man's voice said, cutting him off. "Return to your post, Jaffa."

"Allow me to untie her, first," Char'el said.

Casey's eyes shot open when she felt a pair of hands roughly grab her from Char'el's shoulder. Then she let out a grunt once she was slung over the shoulder of another Jaffa.

"Forget this insolent wretch and return to your post, Jaffa," he commanded. "We need every warrior out on the streets right now."

Casey shot Char'el a look of horror as she was being hauled away down a dark corridor. Char'el, who was surrounded by a group of bustling Jaffa in a command center, gave her a helpless shrug before he turned to leave.

'Damn it, why'd I let him tie me?' Casey wondered in a panic. 'If I was supposed to be knocked out by a zat, I probably shouldn't have been tied in the first place! Now I'm being locked up with my hands bound! What the hell was I thinking?! Oh, Christ, I really suck at this undercover stuff!'

Casey stared wide-eyed at the passing cells, which were packed with people--men, women and children--who all stared back at her with equal helplessness.

The Jaffa brought her before a cell door at the very end of the corridor. He opened it and was about to toss Casey inside, until she quickly wriggled from his grasp and dropped down to the floor. He let out a bemused grunt, and muttered something under his breath about how quickly she recovered from a zat'nik'tel blast, as he turned to leave her in the cell.

"Um, wait, would you mind untying me?" Casey called to him just as the cell bars slammed to a close in front of her face.

"Your cell mate can help you with that," he muttered, as he stalked back down the corridor.

"My cell mate?" Casey whispered, as she spun around and stared fearfully into the blackness of her cell. "And just who would that be?"

"Well, well, well," a familiar voice echoed, as a pair of eyes glowed unnaturally bright within the darkness. "If it isn't my little porcelain doll…."

"Oh, my God," Casey moaned, as she recoiled from the sight of Osiris, who advanced hungrily upon her. "You have got to be kidding me!!!"

SG-1: SVU

Once they got clear of the maze, it was a simple matter of choosing one of the doors in the coliseum that led to the streets. The coliseum was not only completely empty of spectators, but it was severely damaged from several fires that raged in the seating areas. O'Neill paused to stare at the body of a Jaffa a few feet away from them--he had obviously been either thrown, or fallen, to the ground from the stands above.

"Do these people know how to party, or what?" Satterfield muttered incredulously behind him.

O'Neill needed a broader tactical view of this situation. He turned to Carter and asked, "Were the crowds especially rowdy when you and Liv were in the maze?"

Carter shook her head. "They were yelling and carrying on, but nothing this drastic, sir."

"This looks like it happened after we left," Olivia commented.

"You may have inadvertently caused a riot," Daniel said. He gestured at the rising columns of black smoke in the distance. "One that spread to the rest of the city."

When Carter and Olivia exchanged horrified looks, Daniel added, "I'm not saying it was your fault! I mean, you guys were just doing whatever you could to survive, and that's great. But in doing so, it's very likely that you ruined a scared ritual which--in turn--shattered the people's core beliefs."

"Well, I wouldn't have wanted that situation to be any different than it turned out," Olivia said. "I'm just sorry if any innocent people wound up getting hurt."

"He wasn't innocent," O'Neill muttered, with a nod at the dead Jaffa. He keyed his radio and said, "Sierra Gulf One to Little Bird--Jacob, you there? Over."

"Yeah, Jack," Jacob responded over the radio. "Reading you loud and clear. Where are you? Over."

"Just got out of the maze, but still in the coliseum," O'Neill replied. "How far are we from the vault? Over."

"It's due west of you, about a klick away," Jacob responded. "Over."

Carter consulted her compass and indicated the direction by pointing to their right.

"Jack, you've got some heavy duty street fighting in-between you and the vault," Jacob said. "There are only a few clear streets that we can see up here. We'll be happy to give you a--WHOA! Watch the…!"

When there was a burst of static, an alarmed O'Neill keyed the radio once more. "Sierra Gulf One to Little Bird. Little Bird, come in! Are you there, Jacob?! Over!"

"Yeah, yeah, Jack," Jacob replied, sounding frazzled. "We were hovering directly over you in stealth mode, and just nearly got rammed by a death glider. But we're still here, and in one piece. Over."

An anxious Carter let out a relieved sigh, as both Olivia and Janet reached over and patted her arm and shoulder in support.

"Stay up there, Little Bird," O'Neill told them. "We'll get to the vault on foot. You can be our eyes in the sky. Over."

"Rodger that, Jack," Jacob replied. "Good luck. Over."

"Carter, you're on my six," O'Neill said. "Doc, you're behind her; Olivia, behind the doc; Daniel behind Liv. Dr. McKay, you're in-between Hailey and Satterfield, and Teal'c brings up the rear. Everybody clear?"

When he received their nods, O'Neill continued: "We move single-file, close to the wall. Ok? Let's move."

Rodney held his hand up, as if he were a student in a classroom. "Uh, excuse me?"

"What?!" O'Neill replied, annoyed.

"It's just that, with all this fighting going on, how do we know the Asgard Slayer hasn't already been destroyed?" Rodney said.

"We don't," O'Neill responded. "Which is why we're going to check it out right now."

"But-but-but there's a major war going on out there!" Rodney cried. "Why are we going right into it?!"

"Because the chaos will work to our advantage," Teal'c answered for O'Neill. "The chances of our presence being detected will be very unlikely, since the Jaffa will be too concerned with trying to maintain order."

"Sir, you think this could be an uprising?" Carter asked.

"Would be nice if it was," Daniel said. "We could be witnessing the death throes of the Netian Empire right now."

"Which would be all the more reason to get to the vault ASAP," O'Neill said. "Just in case Mut doesn't try to use the Asgard Slayer--or anything else in there--out of desperation. Ok, let's go!"

"Wait, wait, wait," Rodney said, waving his hands. "But what about the--?"

O'Neill pointed at him and said, "Lt. Hailey, if he asks another dumb question again, feel free to pummel him senseless!"

"Yes, sir!" Hailey said with a broad grin. "Thank you, sir!"

"Oh, come on!" Rodney cried, as they began moving out of the coliseum in single file. "What did I ever do to you?"

"First dumb question," Satterfield cheerily announced.

"Ok, ok…I'll shut up," Rodney muttered, just as Hailey was about to turn around and hit him.

SG-1: SVU

Qetesh gazed out the window, at the vast fleet of Ha'tak ships which Ba'al had assembled for this assault. They were presently hidden behind the largest planet in the Mount Tanis system, a gas giant with swirling clouds that blocked out her view of the stars beyond.

Ba'al had halted the advance when the advance scouts had detected the Netian fleet scattered about the planet in a rigid sphere formation. At first Ba'al had feared that Neith--whose skills and cunning in combat were legendary--had been expecting them. They launched a spy satellite, disguised as a tiny meteorite, into the atmosphere of Mount Tanis to try and ascertain what was going on in the wily mind of her Lord Empress Neith.

Qetesh stared at the magnificent and awe-inspiring sight of their fleet, which was made up of two thirds of their overall forces. And she couldn't help but feel very anxious. Despite the maximum firepower that Ba'al had brought to bear, they were still attacking a rather formidable opponent--and if they lost, they would most likely lose everything.

Just when Qetesh began to wonder if they had bitten off more than they could chew, Ba'al entered the lounge with his arms swept grandly out. Qetesh noted that he held what looked like print-out photos in one hand.

"Great news, my love," Ba'al said, grinning broadly. "Mount Tanis is ours for the taking!"

When Qetesh stared at him with disbelief, he held out the photos for her to see. As she flipped through the pictures--which were from the spy satellite and showed a bird's eye view of the ground--Qetesh's eyes grew large with amazement. The photos showed nothing less than mass turmoil and wide-spread destruction in the streets of the fabled city.

"Have they come under attack?" she asked.

Ba'al shook his head. "It's an uprising, my dear. A full-scale riot by the citizens. Think about it: for us to arrive here now, while this is happening--it only means that we were meant to take Mount Tanis for ourselves."

"The Netian Empire is about to fall--right into our hands," Qetesh said with a smile. "What shall we do now?"

"The only thing we can do," Ba'al replied, as his eyes glowed brilliantly. "Attack!"

SG-1: SVU

'Of all the people I could have been thrown in jail with,' Casey wearily thought. 'It had to be this crazy broad….'

"Just when I was beginning to feel lonely," Osiris said, as she caressed Casey's face. "My little porcelain doll returns to make me feel better."

'Damn it,' Casey thought. With her hands still bound, there wasn't much she could do to stop Osiris from doing whatever she wanted. Casey quickly realized that if she was going to break out of this cell, she would need help from the Goa'uld. "Osiris, listen to me--"

Osiris angrily gripped Casey's bare arms. "I am your god! And, as such, I demand you to give me the proper respect I deserve! Call me 'my mistress'. I always love the way you say it, anyway…so meekly, like a perfect little--"

"Just shut up and listen to me!" Casey roared back at her. When she continued, Casey lowered her voice. "I can get the both of us out of here, right now. Just untie my hands, please…."

Osiris shook her head with a smile as she began to rub her hands up and down Casey's arms. "I think I prefer you this way, my little por--"

"You mean you'd rather just stay here and paw me, instead of us making our escape from this cell right now?" Casey asked her, point blank. She decided to play to the woman's vanity. "The sooner we can get out of here Osiris, the sooner you can become queen of the universe."

"I already am the queen of the universe," Osiris told her.

"Oh, I see," Casey said with a nod. "I guess the rest of the universe didn't get the memo yet, huh?"

"What do you have planned, Tauri?" Osiris asked, growing annoyed.

Casey turned her back towards the woman and said, "Untie me, and you'll find out--not before."

Osiris grumbled under her breath as she freed Casey's wrists. When Casey reached into her top for the keypad that Char'el gave her, Osiris' face lit up with delight.

"Relax," Casey told her, as she held up the keypad. "I was just getting this, that's all."

Casey turned and saw the raised panel on the wall beside the cell doorway. She rubbed the keypad over this blank panel, just as Char'el taught her to do, and the cell door flew open.

"Excellent," Osiris said, pleased. She strode into the hallway and gestured for Casey to follow her. "Come, slave."

"Not without Io'tan," Casey said, heading in the other direction. There was one more cell down here, and she wanted to check that before….

'Bingo,' Casey thought, smiling, once she saw Io'tan seated by herself on the floor of the cell. She rubbed the keypad over the panel--Char'el told her that it would work on either side of the wall--and the cell door slid open.

Io'tan stared up at her with surprise. "Casey Novak, what are you doing?"

"Freeing you," Casey replied. "Char'el is waiting outside."

"What is going on?" Io'tan asked. "I thought I heard gunfire outside. Are the riots still continuing?"

"Yes, it's getting very hairy out there," Casey said. "But don't worry, we have the Priestesses In Waiting all safely hidden in a secure spot."

"What are your plans?"

Casey smiled. "The very same thing you've planned to do, Io'tan. There's never been a better time to steal a Ha'tak than right now. But we must go, quickly!"

Io'tan reached out and grabbed Casey's arm. "Wait! I am so sorry. I was dreadfully wrong about you…."

"What part of 'we must go quickly' do you not understand, you stupid bitch?" Osiris growled from the doorway.

"Why is she here?" Io'tan asked Casey, with an annoyed glance at Osiris.

"My hands were tied--literally--and Osiris freed me," Casey said with a shake of her head. "She's just along for the ride. I had no choice. Char'el spoke of a back door in this place."

"Yes," Io'tan said, gesturing with her hand. "It is to the left, down the hallway. I'll show you."

Once they emerged into the hallway, Casey paused when she saw a little boy peering fearfully at her from behind the bars of one of the cells. There was an equally frightened little girl with him--along with the several dozen men women and other children who were huddled up against the bars. Many of them called out to Casey, desperately reaching for her with their hands that they managed to stick in-between the bars.

"Get back!" Casey ordered them. "Back away from the door!"

"Casey Novak," Io'tan called. "What is wrong? Are we not leaving?"

"We are," Casey firmly said, as she waved the keypad over the panel of the cell. "And we're taking everybody who's in here with us."

SG-1: SVU

'Something is wrong,' Char'el thought.

He anxiously waited outside the back door to the prison center, wondering what was taking so long. He hoped she didn't have any trouble getting her hands free. 'I should have insisted on untying Casey Novak,' he chided himself. 'Perhaps the fact that she is held up was because she was placed alone in her cell with her hands still bound.'

Char'el thought of his options. He could go back in through the front door, on the pretense of needing to check on Casey Novak for something--but what if she was already working on her escape? He might draw unneeded attention to her. He let out a sigh. This situation was so nerve-wracking.

'Give me a battle with an opponent on equal terms,' he thought miserably. 'This skulking around is just too--'

His thoughts were shattered when Char'el saw the back door swing open. He ran towards it, his staff weapon at the ready--until he relaxed when he saw both Casey Novak and Io'tan. Before he could say anything, the Goa'uld Osiris abruptly shoved her way past the women and Char'el. She brandished a pair of zat'nik'tels in her hands.

"My mistress, are you all right?" Char'el asked.

"I am fine," she said warmly. "Thank you, Char'el--for coming after me."

"It was my honor, my mistress," he said. He glanced past them, down the hall, and was stunned to see a multitude of people waiting inside. "The guards?"

"They've been taken care of," Casey Novak informed him. "Once Osiris found where the zats were stored, she took them all down."

Char'el glanced down at Casey Novak, and gave her a warm hug. "I am glad to see you are well, too."

He was overjoyed to see the broad smile that she gave him. Then Casey Novak abruptly grew thoughtful. "Um, these Ha'tak ships," she said. "They're really big, right?"

"Yes, they are," he replied. "They are almost cities themselves."

"Good," Casey Novak said. She then gestured back at the large crowd of humanity behind them. "Because they're all coming with us."

"Oh, I see," Char'el said with great surprise. "Very well…."

There was another explosion, but this time, it came from above them. Char'el glanced up and saw that there was a series of very bright flashes of light that came from the heavens above, followed by booming noises that shattered windows in several buildings.

"That can't be a storm brewing?" Casey Novak asked. "Is it?"

"No," Char'el said, and the chill he felt in his heart could be heard in the tone of his voice. "I believe we are under attack from space…."

Casey Novak and Io'tan stood in mute shock at what he had just told them.

The silence was broken when Osiris, after having a look around at the devastation caused by the riots, turned back to them and said, "You people simply do not know how to run an empire…."

SG-1: SVU

"You're clear through the rest of that street, Jack," Jacob said, as he intently peered at Mount Tanis below him. "But you've got firefights at the end, on all streets leading from that one. Over."

"Let's cross that bridge when we get to it," Jack replied over the radio. "We've got to get down this street, first. Over."

"Rodger, over," Jacob replied, as he watched the little line of ants move down the street that he had picked out for them. His only daughter, Sam, was among that line of ants. Jacob thought Sam was the one directly behind Jack, but he couldn't be sure. Jacob didn't want to adjust the mag on the view screen, because he needed to keep a broad view of the area on hand in order to guide them past the hot spots.

Jacob had brought his teltac high enough above the city so that it was out of the line of fire of the rioters, as well as the Jaffa and death gliders trying to squash them. He watched as SG-1 carefully made its way through the embattled city, thanks to special cameras that had been mounted on the underbelly of his ship.

Bra'tac rapidly tapped his shoulder. "They could go through that broad space there, avoiding the streets entirely!"

"What broad…oh yeah, I see it. It's the one with the big pool, right?"

Bra'tac nodded. "Yes, that is it."

Jacob noted that SG-1 had just walked past the only entrance to that area on their street. "Jack, stop now! Over."

After SG-1 halted, Jack came on the radio. "What is it, Jacob? Over."

"That doorway, just behind you, it leads to an open area with a man-made pool of water," Bra'tac said.

"You can use it to cut across to the vault, avoiding all the hotspots that are ahead of you, Jack," Jacob added. "Over."

"Bless you guys!" Jack said on the radio. "Proceeding as per your new directions now. Over."

Jacob smiled, until he saw bright flashing erupt all around the teltac. Then alarms went off as the ship shuddered violently.

"The hell is going on?" Jacob said, as he struggled to regain control of the ship. "We're well above getting hit by any of the action on the ground."

"Perhaps the 'action' has moved up here," Bra'tac said. "Turn us around, so that we are facing space."

"Got it," Jacob replied.

Just as he turned the teltac upwards, one of the Ha'tak ships erupted in a brilliant ball of light.

"Damn it," Jacob muttered. "They must be on to us, because they just launched their--"

Jacob then stopped short when he realized that the Ha'tak had now broken up into a million smaller, flaming pieces that flew pell-mell about them. He knew now that they didn't launch their seeker wave.

The Ha'tak had exploded.

Then Jacob saw the cause. A second Ha'tak-class vessel had swung into view. Unlike the Ha'taks of the Netian Empire, this was the traditional design of the system lords that they were used to--with a different, shield-like symbol that had rounded, pointed edges.

"It is Ba'al," Bra'tac said solmenly.

"Ba'al? What the hell is he doing here?!" Jacob asked.

"Attacking the planet," Bra'tac answered.

'Jaffa are so literal,' Jacob thought. He maneuvered the ship away from the firefight that broke out above them, feeling very much like a gnat who got stuck in the middle of an elephant battle. "Ok, we should get to--"

He was cut off when the teltac was struck by something--at least that was what it felt like to Jacob, an object striking the side of the ship, hard. There was an explosion behind him as a panel blew out of the wall, shooting sparks.

And then the controls went dead.

Jacob stared wide-eyed at the underbelly feed as the ground began rushing up at them. "Brace yourself, Bra'tac!"

After trying to do everything in his power to either stop or slow their descent, Jacob faced the inevitable fact: they were crashing.

He keyed the radio. "Jack, come in Jack. Little Bird is crashing! I say again: Little Bird is crashing!"

SG-1: SVU

"Jacob!" Jack shouted, as he keyed his radio.

Sam stared at him fearfully. She and the rest of SG-1 were almost halfway across the pool area that Jacob and Bra'tac had pointed out for them when she had just heard her father say that they were crashing.

Jack had gestured for them to halt as he continued to key his radio. "Little Bird, come in, Little Bird. Jacob, are you there?! Damn it!"

"Jack, look!" Olivia pointed.

Sam glanced up and watched with horror as a flaming teltac ship crashed to the ground a few blocks away from them. She couldn't see the impact, thanks to a building that blocked their view. Sam continued to stare wide-eyed at the column of black smoke that rose up from the crash site, until she felt a hand gently rub the side of her neck.

It was Jack.

"Your dad, and Bra'tac, are both tough old birds," he told her. "C'mon, let's make a detour and pick them up."

"O'Neill!" Teal'c said, he gestured to the skies with his staff weapon.

When Sam glanced up with the others, she was further horrified to see what looked like a meteor shower falling all over Mount Tanis. Yet there was something oddly familiar about the blazing shapes, which had square angles. Then it hit her.

"My God, sir," Sam said, grabbing his arm. "That's the remnants of a Ha'tak, falling to the planet."

"Some parts of which are falling this way!" Rodney nervously added, as he gestured wildly at a large chunk of debris that fell straight towards them.

"We need to find shelter, fast," Jack said. "We'll check on Jacob and Bra'tac once the smoke clears."

Sam desperately glanced around, until she saw a large group of civilians run into a shelter that was built under the pool. "Sir!"

Jack nodded. "Yeah, Carter, I see it. Everybody follow those guys! MOVE IT!"

'Dad, Bra'tac, just please hold on,' Sam thought, as she and the others broke into a run for the shelter. 'We'll get to you as soon as we can!'

SG-1: SVU

"Is everybody here?!" Casey called around to the assembled group, once they had arrived. "Did everybody make in inside?"

Char'el, who did his own head count, nodded. "Yes, Casey Novak. Everyone is here."

Casey nodded. "Good, and not a movement too soon. That piece of debris should be hitting here any--"

"LOOK OUT!" Char'el shouted.

Casey whirled around to see a group of black-clad people entering the storage area right behind her. No sooner did they enter then they raised their weapons at them.

Acting on instinct, Casey aimed her zat at the opponent who was the closest to her. It was a woman, with dark brown hair flowing out from under her cap and dark feline eyes that were oddly familiar.

Once she got a good look at Casey, the woman lowered her own zat and stared at her in amazement. And in that moment, Casey realized that she knew this woman all too well.

"Olivia?" she asked in a stunned whisper.

"Casey," she replied, her mouth spreading into a joyous smile. "Oh my G--"

They were both knocked to the floor as a giant tremor rumbled throughout the storage area. The doorway was instantly blocked out as everything around Casey and Olivia fell into blackness.

To Be Continued....