Chapter 2

Jack woke up quickly in the morning. Rising easily to his feet he checked out his surrounding with a sense of peace. He didn't have any conflicting thoughts about leaving Earth. Once he made his decision, everything else was pushed to the back of his mind. He didn't see Teal'c, but he wasn't worried. He knew the big guy could take care of himself. Jack quickly shaved and washed his face. He was drying it off when Teal'c walked back in. Jack instantly looked up and smiled slightly at the sight of his friend.

"Had a good night, Teal'c?"

"Indeed. These caves are most expansive. Any enemy that were to follow us could easily be lost while in pursuit."

Jack nodded, "Not to mention a few well-placed traps, eh?"

Teal'c's face remained bland, but his eyes took on an almost predatory look as he said, "Indeed."

"So, Teal'c," Jack said, as he began to rummage through his bag, "what's this planet like that we're going to today?"

"It is a very green planet, O'Neill. Satis is a very vain Goa'uld, but as most Goa'uld are, she is overconfident. She has many slaves, and she is known to be a very cruel Goddess. However, Apophis has given her merely a handful of Jaffa. She has a basic Tel'tak, which is merely a Goa'uld cargo ship, but otherwise has no means of travel."

"How many Jaffa exactly?"

"At most a dozen."

Jack nodded. "Okay, green BDU's, we'll take P-90's. We want as much fire power as possible. Load up on standard gear and vests. How long do you figure this will take?"

"As to that, I am uncertain."

Jack nodded. "Okay, then we'll load up food for a few days as well."

Teal'c slightly inclined his head and they both began to prepare for their first solo mission. Jack couldn't help the excitement that was rising in his gut. Teal'c also seemed eager. They quickly were ready and then ate breakfast. Later, they would replenish their food supplies here at the cave, but for now, they were too excited to stay still for long.

They left the caves and moved toward the Stargate. As they walked they could see various creatures moving in the forest around them. Jack was focused, but both he and Teal'c scanned their surroundings constantly, watching for anything that could possibly indicate danger. However, they reached the gate undisturbed.

Teal'c quickly dialed in the coordinates as Jack waited patiently. The stargate came to life with a familiar exploding motion and Jack smirked as Teal'c joined him in front of the event horizon.

"Let's go," he said, and they stepped through together.

There was the familiar motion as they traveled through the gate, and the instant they emerged on the other side, they were both in motion. Reacting instantly to each other as though they'd been together for years, they rolled toward opposite sides of the underbrush and then came up searching their surroundings as they heard the Stargate close behind them. After a few tense moments, Jack came to his feet crouching. Nobody was in sight.

The two men moved off and disappeared into the thick underbrush. The clearing behind them became as silent as though they had never been there.

Teal'c led the way toward Satis. They moved silently, completely in tune with each other. They left no sign of their passing, and Teal'c couldn't help but be impressed with this human's skill. Though he had only known O'Neill for a few months, he was continually amazed with this man who had won his trust and loyalty the instant they had met. He had the skills of a Jaffa, and an impressive tactical mind for one so young. Teal'c could not help wondering sometimes if it would have been so bad if O'Neill had remained a Jaffa after Hathor had turned him. Though Teal'c had not wanted O'Neill to become a slave to a primta, he felt that O'Neill was already a Jaffa in every other way. He wondered what his friend would be like with the heightened strength and senses of a Jaffa on top of his already remarkable skills.

Teal'c's quiet musings were interrupted as they approached the edge of a settlement. Jack gave him a questioning look and Teal'c responded by pointed to the largest building in the center of the village. Jack nodded and then made a slight flying motion with his hand. Teal'c pointed beyond the building and Jack looked to see the cargo ship parked nicely with no guards. Jack couldn't help the grin that spread across his features.

Teal'c flowed slowly forward. Jack followed silently. They skirted the edges of the village and made they way easily to the unguarded Tel'tak. Jack signed that he would keep watch and Teal'c moved toward the Tel'tak. He pressed the keypad and the door slid soundlessly open.

Jack briefly thought, "This is way too easy." He should have known better.

As the door slid open, the Jaffa who had about to exit the cargo ship looked at the two warriors in front of him with surprise. He managed a choked, "Sholva!" before Teal'c plowed into him. Jack was right behind and he hit the buttons on the key pad to shut the door of the cargo ship behind him. However, as he turned back to see Teal'c rising off of the very still form of the Jaffa, he became aware that the ship was not empty. Four Jaffa who were surrounding a very beautiful woman were all staring at him and Teal'c in shock. They obviously were not expecting company. Without another thought, Jack opened fire. The gunshots rang out incredibly loud in the small space of the cargo ship, but Jack aim was accurate. Before the first report of his gun had faded, three of the four Jaffa were down and no longer moving. Teal'c took out the remaining one with his staff weapon. The woman was left standing in the center of four dead Jaffa.

Jack gave her his most charming smile, "Excuse me, ma'am, but we are going to need this cargo ship. Please remove yourself from the vehicle."

The woman gazed at him with a very level glare, and then she spoke and an eerily familiar sound came from her mouth. "How dare you intrude upon my vessel," the echoing Goa'uld voice rang through the ship with cold disdain, "remove yourselves at once."

Jack looked at the Goa'uld in front of them and said, "Um...no."

Teal'c stared back with cool stoicism.

The woman looked at both of them, and then recognition dawned in her eyes. "You are the sholva, Teal'c, and the Tauri leader who recruited him!"

Jack smiled amicably and said, "Maybe. And who are you?"

The woman in front of them looked insulted. She drew herself to her full height and said, her voice thundering, "I am the Goddess Satis. Kneel before me and I shall be merciful."

"Oh, for crying out loud," Jack said. He had his gun trained steadily on her, and Teal'c was also equally unmoving. "What do you think, Teal'c?"

Teal'c raised an eyebrow at his friend, "She is a Goa'uld. She enslaves people and causes misery to countless others. There is only one thing to do." Jack nodded, but hesitated. It was one thing to kill someone in battle, but it was another thing entirely to shoot an unarmed woman, even if she was a Goa'uld on the inside. However, at that moment, the woman took the choice out of his hands.

Raising her hand, she revealed a Goa'uld hand device which sent Jack crashing into the wall and hitting the keypad, which caused the door to slide open. Jack lay their stunned momentarily as Teal'c attacked the woman. Knowing that she most likely had a force shield, Teal'c body slammed her and as her head hit the wall, she went limp. Teal'c pulled a strange S-shaped weapon out of a nearby dead Jaffa's holster and as he grasped it, it uncoiled and made a sound. Without another word, Teal'c pointed it at the Goa'uld and fired it twice. The Goa'uld's body shook and electricity sparked and then she fell still.

Jack, who was sitting up gingerly said, "What's that?"

"A Zat'nik'tel."

"A what?"

"A Zat'nik'tel. It is a Goa'uld device that uses a different form of energy than the staff weapons. One shot causes extreme distress on its subjects."

"Let me guess," Jack said, pulling himself to his feet and looking at the still form of the woman in front of them, "two shots kills?"

"That is correct."

Then Teal'c fired the gun an third time and the Goa'uld disappeared.

"Whoa!" Jack said, jumping back and accidently hitting the keypad again. The door slid shut quickly. Teal'c removed the other three zat'nik'tels from the other dead Jaffa.

"So, three shots...disintegrates?" Jack asked coming up beside Teal'c. Teal'c nodded. Jack shook his head and said, "What do you call those things again?"

"Zat'nik'tels."

Jack mouth seemed to be trying to pronounce the word silently. Finally, he shrugged and said, "So it's a Zat gun."

Teal'c looked surprised and then nodded. Ever one for the practical side of things, Teal'c appreciated the simple way in which O'Neill looked at the world. Zat was indeed shorter.

"Well, then," Jack said as he picked up two of the zat guns and stuck them in his vest, "let's be off to Chulak." Teal'c nodded again. Jack rubbed his hands together and then said, "Why don't we change clothes with these lovely Jaffa here, and then we can disintegrate their bodies too."

Teal'c soundlessly began to do so. Once their BDU's were tucked securely in their bags, and they were dressed in the Jaffa's clothes they turned and Teal'c began powering up the ship. Jack watched carefully as Teal'c angled the ship off the ground and sent it toward space.

"We will have to enter hyperspace briefly, O'Neill, before we shall be able to reach Chulak."

Jack nodded, "Fine by me."

They sat silently for a few moments, and then Jack said, "By the way, I was thinking."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow and waited for him to go on. Jack did, "When we get to Chulak, why don't we get your wife and kid off the planet and take them back with us?"

Teal'c stared and his usual stoic mask slipped. Utter shock filled his features before he was able to rear it in. He had not even considered the idea. At first he immediately discarded it, and then went back and considered it. O'Neill would not suggest it if it did not have merit.

"What are you considering, O'Neill?" was finally all he said.

Jack shrugged. "Look, I just figure, Drey'auc and Rya'c would be happier on our new home planet. It's not Earth, but they will be safe and free and you could spend time with them when we aren't ridding the universe of the slimy snake-heads." Jack then grinned and said, "Maybe we could even invite Bra'tac and all of his friends."

Teal'c for a moment was speechless. Not just stoic, but actually speechless. Finally, he turned and stood up and crossed the short space between them. Placing his hand firmly onto Jack's shoulder, Teal'c pronounced, "Thank you, O'Neill."

Jack grinned at him and said, "No problem."

However, as Jack turned to stare at the screen, Teal'c could have sworn he caught a hint of sorrow in the other warrior's eyes. Perhaps he wished Teal'c to have the family he could not have. If that was the case, it made the gesture mean even more to Teal'c and he truly felt gratitude to the warrior who had shown him the way to freedom.

A few hours later, they emerged from hyperspace. Jack quickly donned his Jaffa helmet and Teal'c did the same. After a few moments as the ship began its descent to the planet's surface, Teal'c could have sworn he heard his friends mutter, "No wonder these guys are so cranky." A small smile twitched Teal'c's lips as O'Neill's words carried to his ears.

The Tel'tak descended smoothly into a grove of trees and Jack said, his voice muffled through his helmet, "At least we seem to be undetected so far."

Teal'c nodded. Gripping their staff weapons and holstering their zat guns at their sides, Jack and Teal'c walked confidently off the ship. Closing the door, Teal'c installed a code on it to keep it safe from intruders. Satis had needed no such code, for who would attack her in her own home?

Teal'c smirked at her self-confidence and then he and O'Neill headed off to find his wife, son, and Mater Bra'tac.