Sam punched in the code for the SGC and waited patiently for the gate to activate.
They had discussed the possibility of going straight to one of the two locations Malek had suggested but had agreed on debriefing and recouping a little at the SGC first. Malek was going to send his own people to monitor the activity at both locations and had promised to keep them informed. Jack had no other alternative than to trust him and besides, they both needed the rest.
Jack and Sam finally stepped down the ramp, giving their weapons to the SF in charge, before heading up to the infirmary where Hank Landry came to meet them after a short while.
"SG-1 had an interesting brush with a former contact," Landry stated as Jack patiently held his arm for the nurse to take a sample of his blood.
"So I heard from Walter," Jack said.
Landry chuckled. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Walter always had a soft spot for me, Hank…" Jack shrugged. "He likes to keep me up to date."
"I called a debriefing in an hour; I hope you're up to it. You look like crap, Jack." Landry said sympathetically.
"You would too if you hadn't slept in three days, you know."
"Anyway, briefing in an hour and we'll decide what to do next. SG-1 may have a few interesting bits to share and I'm sure you do too." The older man patted his shoulder while Jack rolled down his sleeve.
Jack was finishing tying up his boots when Sam came into his side of the infirmary.
"You're all right?" he smiled at her.
"I've got firm orders to have a good night's rest, and you do too…" she said.
"I know, I'm just wondering if resting is wise while that overdressed sadistic power monger holds one of ours," he said, worry and tiredness creasing his brow. "Maybe we should debrief and set out on the mission ASAP. I'd feel better if…"
"Oh I don't think so, Jack O'Neill," she interrupted.
Jack looked at her questioningly. "What?"
"Don't' use that tone on me, Jack, I know you. We go to debriefing, and then we sleep, preferably not in the same room if you keep up the sulking act."
"You wouldn't…"
"Try me?" she said, crossing her arms in front of her.
Jack shook his head, chuckling and stood up from the bed before encircling her waist with his arms. "Do I have to say 'yes Sir'?" he murmured in her ear.
"Well, I'm not the one who finds it endearing, but please, be my guest…" she replied, un-phased.
"Let's get that darn briefing under way then, Colonel, so I can rest in good company," he raised his eyebrows suggestively.
Sam shook her head as he exited the infirmary, and followed him to the briefing room.
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"So Malek and his people are out there keeping watch for us until tomorrow where he should report in and give us a better idea regarding Baal's location. He'll also provide the first information on how well the base is guarded," Jack concluded his report. "Malek also told us that Baal's been actively recruiting mercenaries that he pays with Kassa. So the Lucian alliance must be onto something too."
"And yet, you want SG-1 to go and try to gain intelligence about the Ori's next move?" Landry asked.
"Well, from what Teal'c said of their mission, they know where Adria's forces are. That's a good starting point."
"We could also provide you with support when rescuing young O'Neill," Teal'c pointed out.
"True enough but we'll have Malek's people for support and I'm pretty sure we can retrieve Jack J. with them. Malek holds some kind of grudge toward the snake, he'll deal with him, of that I'm sure. When Jack J.'s back with us, Thor and his buddies will be glad to have any intelligence about Adria's whereabouts and plans."
"I can send Dixon to find out what the Ori are about to do since we know in which part of the galaxy Adria has concentrated her efforts, so you can have SG-1 with you," Landry suggested.
"No. Don't lose the main focus, General. If Thor is right, we'll need to act quickly before the Ori find something to counteract the effect of the weapon, or whatever the Asgard will come up with. We'll have a better chance if we keep the element of surprise, and SG1 has dealt several times with Adria. Much as I like Dixon's efficiency, Dave is not Adria's mother." Jack replied.
"Well, I'm not sure I understand why the fact Vala is Adria's mother is necessary for this mission…"
"Adria will not kill us should she take a hold of us, General Landry," Teal'c said calmly looking at Jack for confirmation.
The latter smiled painfully.
"I don't like this plan," Hank sighed.
"Neither do I, but it's the only one that's acceptable." Jack said in a firm voice.
"So what do you want us to do?" Daniel asked.
"Go to Adria's last known coordinates and gather information about her troops, her plans,… whatever you can. Mitchell, Teal'c, be extra careful. Where the Ori have set their pawns, there must be some pockets of resistance. Concentrate on those, infiltrate them if you can. Just come back with as much as you can so we can beat the crap out of these over dramatic conjurers."
"You heard the general, SG-1 go get ready, you leave in two hours," Landry ordered before motioning for Jack to follow him in his office, and closing the door once Jack was inside. "Jack, the VIP quarters have been prepped…" he said with a slight raise of the eyebrows. "Special commendation from Dr. Lam, she ordered you to rest… Colonel Carter's quarters are ready too…" he concluded not missing the annoyed look Jack threw him. "Carolyn specifically said 'rest', Jack. Besides, it's my base, my rules…" he smiled.
"I sometimes wonder what those stars they pinned on my shoulders are for," Jack grumbled, rising from his chair.
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The pain in Jack J.'s thigh was subsiding. He regularly massaged the area, trying to rest despite the frequent passage of guards outside his cell and not knowing exactly when Baal would finally tell him what he wanted with him. Deep inside he dreaded the confrontation and he had the fierce desire to end this right then. But old reaction patterns die hard and the trained military man inside of him advised patience and calm. So he relaxed as best as he could and reviewed his desperate plan over and over, fingering the pin absently.
He must have dozed off for a while because he barely realized that the door of his cell had opened before he felt the butt end of a staff weapon on his back.
"Lord Baal wants to see you now!" the guard barked.
Jack J. groaned and stood up slowly. Without a belt, his jeans slipped down a bit, like they had upon his arrival. Concealing the pin in his palm, he nonchalantly grabbed the waistband of his pants with the same hand.
Another guard was waiting for them at the entrance of his cell. He put manacles on his wrists before nudging him forward into the corridor. They did not tie his feet this time, probably not too concerned with him escaping.
As they walked, Jack J. observed the corridors they were walking along, drawing mental maps of the place and noticing every detail of importance. Academic life had its perks, he thought amused, it kept the brain active, probably more so than his counterpart's stuck in an office at the Pentagon. They eventually reached a middle-sized chamber where he recognized the familiar silhouette of the former system lord, his back to him.
Baal turned to greet his guest with a sardonic smile. The guards stepped backwards, turned and exiting the chamber, sliding the closing panel shut.
Jack J. kept the awkward stance, wanting to weigh his options before acting, wanting to be sure the System Lord's over confidence was still his weak point.
"I am sorry for keeping you waiting," Baal said ironically. "Your results are rather promising if your blood samples are any indication."
He turned away and Jack J. saw vials of what he presumed was his own blood. He also caught a glimpse of the ribbon device on the Goa'uld's other hand and knew that he needed to act now…
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Jack and Sam met Malek at the designated coordinates. The Tok'ra and a few of his men guided them silently to a small cabin in ruins by a large lake.
Jack looked at his guide with raised eyebrows.
Malek smiled slightly. "The cabin is only camouflage for the rings platform."
"Oh…. Then Kanaan's information wasn't up to date, they were supposed to be in the middle of a fishermen's village," Jack frowned.
"There used to be a village indeed, but they were Jaffa. When the Rebellion won Dakara, they destroyed the village. Baal had this makeshift ruins constructed," he swiped the area with his hand, "to fit in the landscape."
"So what's the situation?" Sam pressed all business again.
"A few of my operatives have infiltrated his ranks of mercenaries. He must be rather desperate in recruiting troops, he's less careful about the people he hires. They reported that a new prisoner was brought in a couple of days ago. The landing pad is on top of this mountain," he showed the mountain dominating the lake. "The base is wide but there is only one level. We know of two ways of entry…"
"There's probably more," Jack cut in.
"At least one more, yes, but I'll leave my men here to cover this one. There is a Tel'Tac in the planet's atmosphere monitoring energy coming and going from the landing pad on the mountain. They will be able to disable the ship's engines from above, cutting this escape route." Malek concluded.
"How many people have you got inside?" Sam asked.
"Seven." Malek replied.
"It's not a Hell of a lot," Jack said pensively.
"Indeed, but remember Baal's troops are mercenaries. They are not as trained, obedient, and cohesive as Jaffas…" Malek stated. "Besides, I'm expecting more troops in a moment."
"You think a diversion would work?" Jack asked.
Malek nodded.
"Sir, maybe small C4 detonations would do the trick?" Sam suggested.
"I was thinking along these lines but remember we need Baal alive. That's the condition, O'Neill." Malek warned.
Jack nodded. "Now, do you know where the cells are?"
Kael stepped forward and kneeled, starting to draw a rough plan of the base. "As far as we know, the cells are roughly at an equal distance between the mountain and the lake. It's far from this entrance, but since the other one is obviously unavailable, we'll have to deal with it."
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Teal'c crouched into the narrow entrance of the cave. Big weaponry was definitely not an option for this people, he mused. After emerging from the primary tunnel, he was able to progress on all fours for a while before finally reaching a wide chamber where several fires illuminated the small encampment inside.
Cameron was in deep conversation with Anko, the leader of the resistance. The latter had lost his daughter Lamika to the Ori, she had become one of Adria's servants, but the old man had used this to his own advantage. Hence Lamika had unknowingly become a source of information about Adria's whereabouts and plans.
When SG-1 had arrived they had of course drawn attention, and Romans, the blacksmith of the village had immediately taken action: the Ori had to know about those intruders, he had proclaimed to the people of the village in a close assembly. It had been decided that he would ambush SG-1 and confiscate their weapons with the help of his aides.
Once the team had been effectively captured, Romans showed them to the village before announcing he was going to bring them to the Ori base beyond the forest.
They had left the village under much cheering but once in the forest, Romans had taken a totally different route and had brought them to their former village leader Anko, finally revealing which side he was really on.
As he emerged from the tent SG-1 had been given Daniel spotted Teal'c. He smiled and met his friend half way.
"There is an unusual fervor of activity in the village, Daniel Jackson. As far as I could understand, people say the Priors are going to announce something soon."
"This seems to go along with what Mitchell has been observing too. Anko said Lamika was very excited about some discovery Adria made. Apparently she is on the verge of finding a way to the Sangraal," Daniel concluded in a somber voice.
"But she has not found it yet," Teal'c pressed.
"No. From what Lamika said, they have found scriptures that offer several possibilities. As it happens, we may be closer to it than them since we already know of two planets that the Knights of Arthur visited. On the other hand we may have been totally misled. Lamika has yet to tell her father what Adria is so excited about. One thing is certain though, Adria is less cautious. She must be close or she's found something that she can use against us. I still think our confrontation with Morgan la Fey gave us some important clues in our quest to try and find Merlin's weapon…"
"I see… Perhaps this is why Colonel Mitchell is so agitated, then," Teal'c raised an eyebrow.
Daniel smiled at that and looked briefly at his gesticulating companion. "Oh you know Cameron… He needs to expel his extra energy…"