Chapter 7
The Stargate had been reinstated below Cheyenne Mountain with minimal difficulty. Strangely, Apophis had not immediately attacked once he had dropped into the atmosphere, which allowed the missiles the time they needed to launch. Unfortunately that had not gone as planned. As Hammond continued to move select individuals out to the Alpha Site, Samuels and Sam had sat and watched the missile launch with Sgt. Harriman.
"Launch is good, sir," Walter said.
"Yes!" Samuels hissed, and Sam gave him a look.
"Look, Captain," Samuels said, putting an emphasis on the word 'Captain,' "perhaps you were right that we shouldn't have closed down the gate, but I still think we were right in doing so. And this demonstrations of the missiles will prove once and for all that the current safe-guards are sufficient to protect our planet and the gate is no longer needed."
"Sir," Sam said, struggling to show the proper respect to her superior officer, "I highly doubt those missiles will do anything other than explode harmlessly off of a shield. And besides, sir," she said through gritted teeth, "if it wasn't for the Stargate you wouldn't have naquadah to enhance those missiles."
"Perhaps, Captain," Samuels said, "but you forget that if it weren't for the Stargate, we wouldn't need the missiles in the first place."
Sam glared at him as Walter interrupted, "Missiles approaching target in 3...2...1!"
Sam and Colonel Samuels watched as the missiles exploded harmlessly in outer space. "That's impossible!" Colonel Samuels said, sweat building up on his brow as he stared desperately at the screens. "It was supposed to work!"
Sam shook her head sadly at him. "And yet, it didn't...sir," she said, with barely disguised contempt. She rose to her feet and said, "I'd better go help them with the evacuation," Sam said.
However, as she turned to go, Walter said, "Uh, Captain?"
Sam turned back to see that one of the ships had begun to careen drunkenly, energy readings flaring up all over the vessel. "What's going on?" she said, in stunned surprise. She jumped to the keyboard and began frantically typing, calling up different readings and information.
"See! See!" Samuels said, "I knew it would work!"
Sam shook her head and gestured toward the information on her monitor. "Whatever's happening, sir, has absolutely nothing to do with us. Someone is attacking from inside the ship." She looked over to meet the eyes of Sgt. Harriman and saw that he was thinking the same thing as he murmured, "Colonel O'Neill?"
They continued to watch in shock as, with one giant explosion, the first ship went up in a huge fireball. Sam looked at Walter, "I'll go get Hammond," she said.
When Jack came flying out of the ring transport, Bra'tac knew their time had come. "My warriors!" he cried. Instantly the sixteen of them, including Teal'c who had been standing guard by the door, whipped out their zats and began to fire on the warriors around them. Jack climbed shakily to his feet just in time to see Teal'c grab Klorel's hand and wrap an arm around the young man's neck. Another of the Jaffa ran up and stripped the hand device off his hand, leaving him vulnerable.
"Let's go," Jack said. Out the front screen Apophis's ship began to show signs of the many explosions that were appearing all over the vessel.
"You will suffer a thousand deaths for this!" Klorel protested, his eyes flashing.
"Aw for crying out loud, put a cork in it," Jack muttered as he glanced around the corridor in front of them.
As Jack and his group of Jaffa warriors left, the ring transport behind them activated, depositing Apophis and a few of his warriors, just as the other mothership went up in one giant fireball. The issuing explosion rocked Klorel's mothership sending those onboard to their feet.
As Jack, Bra'tac, Teal'c, and the other Jaffa ran past, holding a struggling Klorel, the Jaffa around them began to clue into the fact that not everything was exactly hunky-dory.
"Kill them," Klorel cried and the Jaffa began to fire on them, causing one of the number to cry out as he was struck by a staff weapon. The rebel Jaffa on either side of him quickly hoisted him up and kept running.
"Cease firing or I will kill Klorel!" Teal'c shouted. Instantly, the Jaffa around them froze.
Klorel scowled as he was pulled past the brooding Jaffa. Bra'tac led the way through the corridor and as the entourage went past, Jack turned and looked at the silent Jaffa around them. "If you don't want to be blasted into a million pieces," he said, "come with us and leave the slimy-snake heads posing as your Gods. If you stay here, you'll pretty much end up dead."
The Jaffa exchanged looks, and then one of them growled, "Shol'va!"
"Actually," Jack said, "no, no I'm really not. See in order to be a traitor, you have to be loyal in the first place. I'm from the planet you're trying to destroy so..." and he gestured dramatically.
As he looked around and no one moved or changed expressions, he shrugged and said, "Your loss," and then he followed the others around the corner.
As he disappeared, Apophis and his guard came around the corner. "What are you all doing?" Apophis roared, "After them!"
"They have Klorel, Lord Apophis," one of the Jaffa protested, "and they threatened to kill him."
"Klorel is a God, he cannot die! Get after them and get me that human!" Apophis boomed, his eyes flashing dangerously.
The Jaffa hesitated, exchanged looks, and then charged after the retreating figures.
Jack and the others reached the Stargate and sealed the door behind them. Bra'tac began to pound in the coordinates for Chulak, and Jack and the others guarded the door while Teal'c continued to hold the struggling Abydonian.
"Hurry it up," Jack said, as the pounding on the door grew in volume.
At that moment, the Stargate came to life. The fountain of vertical water exploded and Bra'tac motioned for the others to go through. Two of them supported the injured warrior and ran through the Stargate. The other eleven warriors followed, leaving Bra'tac, Teal'c, Jack, and Klorel. The Jaffa were beginning to force the door open.
"Time to go," Jack said and he pulled the second detonator out of his armor.
"Where is Fro'tak?" Teal'c asked, frowning as he looked around.
"You mean that guy who beamed over to Apophis's ship?" Jack asked.
"He said he was going to assist you," Bra'tac said.
"Well, forget him. He turned us in. I almost didn't get out because of the little scumbag," Jack said with a disgusted look on his face.
"What?" Teal'c asked.
"There is no time for this," Bra'tac said, "we must leave immediately."
Teal'c nodded and said, "Follow swiftly, O'Neill." He grabbed the struggling Klorel and ran through the event horizon.
"The time has come, O'Neill," Bra'tac said. Jack nodded and flipped the detonator. The sound of numerous explosions instantly followed and Jack and Bra'tac ran through the gate just as the Jaffa outside managed to open the door. The Stargate closed down behind them and Apophis gestured to the DHD.
"Open the Chappa'ai," Apophis commanded as the sounds of explosions grew ever nearer.
One of the Jaffa began to frantically input coordinates as Apophis looked with trepidation toward the sounds behind them.
Hammond, Daniel, and Sam sat around the briefing room and watched nervously as the other ship continued to bear down toward Earth.
"If I know Colonel O'Neill," said Sam, "he'll take care of it."
"I hope you're right, Captain," Hammond said, "Otherwise we have no options left."
Samuels was looking very nervous. "Sir, with respect, we don't even know that Colonel O'Neill is up there. Permission to go through the Stargate to the Alpha Site."
"Denied, Colonel," Hammond said with a sharp look, "you will stay here with the rest..."
"General!" Daniel said, pointing at the screen. Hammond looked back quickly to see that energy signatures had popped up all over the second ship.
"Well, I'll be," muttered one of the officers who was sitting at the table.
It took a good five minutes, but the energy build-up continued and the second ship ended up just like the first: a giant fireball in the night sky.
The room sat in stunned silence, and then the cheering began. Relief was almost tangible in the air as the people in the room celebrated surviving.
Sam turned to look at General Hammond, "I don't care what anybody says, sir. I know Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c were on that ship."
"Agreed, Captain," the older man said, "but that's what concerns me. How could anyone have survived that?"
At these words, Daniel and Sam exchanged a frightened look and then both looked at the screen. Reality hit them, and they realized that Jack and Teal'c, even if they had been on that ship, were now probably dead and their universe had lost something very precious.
Jack stepped through the gates to the sound of cheering. The sixteen Jaffa in front of him had disabled the guards as they had come through and now they were turned and cheering for the Tauri who had freed them from their false Gods. Jack looked a little uncomfortable, but he shook hands with them all. Then he turned to his good friend who was still holding a now unconscious Klorel.
"Now, Teal'c, let's go get your family."
Teal'c nodded, and the sixteen of them turned back toward the settlements of Chulak.
"O'Neill," Teal'c said as they walked, "what transpired with Fro'tak?"
Jack quickly explained what had happened and when he finished the Jaffa around him looked very disturbed.
"Why would he betray us?" Teal'c asked, turning to Bra'tac.
"This I do not know," Bra'tac confessed. "Perhaps we shall never know." Teal'c nodded, but he looked deeply troubled.
Bra'tac turned to Jack. "This day you are a Hasshak no more," Bra'tac said, "from now on you are a true warrior."
"Okay," Jack exclaimed, "that's it! What exactly is a Hassak?"
"It is one who is very young," Teal'c said, smiling, "what you would call an apprentice."
"Ah," Jack said, "well, in that case, I appreciate the graduation from Hassak."
Bra'tac nodded solemnly and clapped him on the shoulder, not recognizing the slight sarcasm. They walked for a time in silence, before they finally stopped in front of a large expansive home. "Here is the home of Fro'tak, the traitor," Bra'tac said as he gestured to the house in front of him. He turned to the warriors behind him. "We shall reconvene here as night falls. Bring everything, for I fear our journey must be swift. There are many still on Chulak who could not bear to hear the news of Apophis's death."
The warriors nodded, saluted, and left. Teal'c froze and stared at the door in front of him. Bra'tac smiled with understanding. Then he took the unconscious form of Klorel from Teal'c and motioned toward the door.
"You have not been gone so long that she would forget your face, Teal'c," Bra'tac said. "Enter, she is awaiting you."
Teal'c nodded, and knocked on the door. After a few moments, it was opened abruptly and Teal'c found himself face to face with his young son. "Rya'c," Teal'c said, beaming.
"Father!" the boy exclaimed and threw himself into his father's arms. Drey'auc came soon after and stood at the door, her hand over her mouth as she stared in shock at Teal'c.
"My husband," was finally what she said, and then they stared at each other for a long moment before Teal'c pulled her into a firm, loving hug.
They met back at the Stargate at dusk, and though search parties scoured the nearby hills, they remained undetected. Any that came too near were quickly zatted before they could give warning.
"Everyone," Jack said, "stand away from the gate." All the warriors did so, taking their families further away. "Now," Jack continued, "Teal'c, dial us home." As the warriors looked at him in surprise, Jack explained, "It's not that I don't trust the rest of you, you more than proved yourselves on Klorel's ship, but there are certain parties here," Jack accented this point over at a bound, glaring Klorel, "that would betray us if they ever escaped. So for now, everyone will remain ignorant of our homeworld's address. Deal?"
The Jaffa nodded, though a few looked a little resentful. Teal'c finished dialing and then threw his cloak over the address so that none could see as they walked past.
"Welcome to your new home," Jack said, motioning toward the open Stargate, and the others' faces broke into broad grins as they walked through, free for the first time.