Stargate SG-0

A/N: This chapter is hereby dedicated to ALIMOO1971, who had reviewed each and every chapter as well as pointing out a flaw in the plot of the next bit. (Fixed before posting, thanks ALIMOO1971). Of the six of you who have this on story alert, only one other has reviewed at all. Please, guys? Of those of you who are casual readers...a little feedback? Please? Even negative: I'd rather improve as a writer.

After going back to Earth and dropping Louise off (Daniel told them where SG-46 was, and they borrowed a GDO) SG-0 started the long and painstaking process of researching Luiferius.

Was it for real, Sam wondered in an unguarded moment. He knows how I feel about him, was he just being kind? Trying to help me remember? It's been so long, since -That's dangerous, she cut herself off. You never know who could be listening. To distract herself, she started reviewing her love life. First had been that ridiculous crush back in flight school. For a whole year she had mooned over the guy, only to find out he was gay. Then that attraction to Narim. Poor Narim. It wasn't his fault Jolinar had gotten in the way, not to mention their respective governments. Then that disastrous attraction to Martouf. She was glad that hadn't gone anywhere: it would have ruined the both of them. Then Pete. That had been a compromise, but she had just been so desperate by then for somebody, anybody to love her back for a change. But Jack had kept intruding. When she found herself nearly calling out Jack every time they'd had sex, she knew she'd have to call it off. Then she and Jack had – Sam studiously applied herself to research again. A dominant force among the Ori, she thought. Where had been the Ori centre of operations? "Jonas, you got anything?"

"Nope. You?"

"I'm looking for a pattern. Where they were and how long they stayed."

"Wait a minute."

"What is it, Sir?"

"The Ori are smarter than that. They know we're gonna look for this guy on their central planet. Wouldn't they stuff him on some backwater? Where we wouldn't look?"

"You mean like General Carter on the Alpha Site when she was working on the Kull disruptor?"

"Exactly."

"That's a good idea Sir, It just leaves a heck of a lot of planets."

"Surely there must be some way of narrowing it down."

"He'd still be heavily guarded wouldn't he? I mean, if he's the founder of their movement..."

"You're right. Come on, Jonas, let's talk to Daniel."

"Daniel?"

"Yeah, Sam?"

"Do the Ori have any sort of heavily-guarded backwater planet?"

"Not that I know of. Why?"

"Damn."

"What's up?"

"We think that Luciferius is trying to hide somewhere we won't suspect."

"Ah."

"Hang on. Waitaminute. Sam!"

"Yessir?"

"P8X 346."

"The last Goa'uld homeworld. What about it?"

"He's hiding there."

"He can't be. The Goa'uld hate the Ori. They show up the shoddiness of their act."

"They hate the good old Tau'ri more, Sam."

"What?"

"Think about it. As soon as they can do it without getting killed, they're gonna come after us, big time."

"True enough."

"Isn't that worth a deal with the Devil?"

"Oh, very good, Jack."

"Thank you Daniel. I do try."

"So, P8X 347 it is."

"We're stopping at Earth first."

"Why, Sir?"

"For some of those old, forgotten, primitive projectile weapons we used to be so fond of. Remember?"

"Ah, yes, we would need those, wouldn't we? Sorry, Sir."

"Quite alright, Carter. Just so long as you can still use them."

"As I once said to Janet, Sir, it's easy. Just point and pull the trigger."

"To Janet!"

"That whole Hathor incident we aren't supposed to discuss."

"Ah."

"God, this brings back memories."

"Indeed it does, Ma - General Carter."

She grinned, and Jack added "I can almost hear Hammond saying 'SG-1, you have a go.'"

"Ah, yes, Hammond of Texas." Sam smiled, with the hand gesture.

Teal'c appreciated the courtesy to his master, carefully grave, while Jonas looked on, confused.

"Whenever Bra'tac greeted General Hammond, he called him 'Hammond of Texas', with a gesture to indicate his...crown of marble." Jack explained

At the rest or SG-0's snorts, Jonas asked "Crown of marble!"

"What Hathor called the General once."

"Ah." Still laughing, they stepped through the gate.

There were many Jaffa on the other side of the gate, all of whom were pointing their weapons at the hapless bunch. "Erm...take us to your leader?" Jack quipped nervously. "Silence, Tau'ri dog!" the Jaffa with the silver serpent on his head replied. They were zatted, then hit on the head, hard. As it all went black, somebody was heard to mutter "Just like old times..."

"Ohhhhhhhh, boy. Waking up in a cell is so not fun!"

"Tell me about it, Sir."

"And Carter, if anyone comes in, you...bite 'em in the hand!"

"Yessir."

An ornately dressed woman came in, flanked by two more of the serpent guards. She looked strangely disappointed when Daniel looked up but did not react. "Kneel before your goddess!"one of them called.

"Oy. Do you know how stiff my knee is today?" as the Jaffa pointed his staff threateningly, he added "Kneeling, kneeling!"

"I know why you are here, Tau'ri scum. You will not be permitted to complete your mission. Luciferius himself has offered to make my little glove invisible, that all this world may know the power of the Goddess Isis."

"That's impossible. Isis is dead."

"I am not."

"I saw the body."

"Surely you realise that the host means nothing."

"The snake's body."

"That means little."

"It was dissected. The experimented on. Same as Seth, only faster cos we hadn't had an entire snake to play with before."

"You lie! I stand her today, Isis your Goddess. Daughter of the mother of Hathor herself!"

"Hathor is also very dead. She bore no daughters, and you are too young."

"How can the likes of you presume to know my age? I am an immortal!"

"Two reasons. One, we took a census of all living Goa'uld when we put you here and Isis? Nu-unh. Two, you've not been in there long, nor have you had sufficient practice. The host keeps slipping out. This only happens to very young or very old Goa'uld."

"Nothing of the host survives."

"Bullshit. Carter? Ex-host. Me? Well, I'm an ex-host too gosh darn it. Met quite a few ex-hosts over the years. Hell, even Apophis' host survived, God rest his soul." At the others' startled looks, he added "What? Now I know there is a God, and it can't hurt to ask... He deserved it."

"Apophis lives, fool! He rules this planet with Amonet my mother."

Then Isis did look rather pleased, as Daniel looked up, startled. "No! That's impossible!"

"Wrong, Tau'ri. Some of her essence was left to Apophis her husband that she could rise again."

Sam suddenly beat her head fiercely against the wall. "D'oh!"

"What is it, Carter?"

"---I forgot to tape the Simpsons!" she covered.

"D'oh!"

After Isis had left, Jack asked Sam what was wrong. "I can save the Tok'ra, Sir." she whispered.

"What?"

"We use the Jumper, go back to Pangar, not necessarily in that order, take a tissue sample from Egeria and clone it!"

"Sam that's brilliant!"

"I only wish I'd thought of it sooner."

"Indeed."

"We can't tell them this. Forcing the extinction of a species is wrong, and that's the only way to stop them going after the remaining Tok'ra."

"Undomesticated equines would be unable to drag the information from me."

"It's wild horses, T. Wild horses."

"Of that I am aware, O'Neill."

Suddenly, Sam grinned. "Well, look at this. Think they're so damn smart, they don't know a damn thing."

"What is it, Sam?"

"They've left my lock picks. I don't think they have them here, but even so. It's basic prudence to take all items off a prisoner. Jonas, come here." She began working busily. "I take it you've kept up your three best Earth skills?"

"Yep. French fries, motorcycle riding and lock picking!"

"That's wormhole physics, but let me out."

"Of course." In a very short time, they were all released.

"Now what?"

"Well, Sir, if Hathor is here then I suspect Ra is too."

"How can they...?"

"Genetic memory, Sir. Seth might be, but I doubt it. It just means we're going to have to be extremely careful when we storm the throne room. Jonas, we take out Hathor. You stay well back till she's out of the way."

"That's a great plan, Carter, but how do we get out of this cell?"

"The stupidity of the guards, Sir."

"What?"

"My lock picks have an extra addition for Goa'uld locks. I got it made as soon as I figured out how they worked. They just always had the sense to take it off me, before."

"Why not this time?"

"If these Goa'uld are reborn as I suspect, they haven't had much experience dealing with humans. Amonet never actually captured us, remember."

"That is indeed probable, General Carter."

"Ok, we're out. Now what?"

"We grab our stuff, hightail it back to the Gate, knock out all the Jaffa guards, dial and send a report back to Davis at the base. They'll think we've gone through, and put more guards at the gate in case of a return, and fewer guards on the palace we'll attack."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

"See? I told you you have a penchant for pulling brilliant ideas out of your butt...head. Out of your head. Hey, you think they'll have cake in that palace?"

A/N 2: STILL looking for a beta. Anyone? Please? As long as you've seen Nine and Ten so far, I'll accept with alacrity. This is also now the longest story I've ever written. It'd be nice to have somebody check me: I'm in uncharted territory here.

A/N3: Yes, I KNOW I'm borrowing very heavily from old episodes, but wisecracking in cells is what they do. They may be rusty from years of peace, but wisecracking is like riding a bike – you never forget ;) Besides, if you went back to a place you hadn't been to for years, wouldn't it bring back all the old memories?