A/N: Well, it's been a lot longer for this update than I'd planned. I can only tell the absolute truth. Aliens kidnapped my computer to find out what happens to Sam next. I only just managed to defeat them and get back to it. They have yet to return my lawnmower though. I've not yet decided if I want it back.
Chapter 38: When all Else Fails, Blow it to Hell
Making a quick time calculation, Sam changed the plan. Hopefully, she had a little time while the Jaffa gathered the captives before Seshat began questioning the prisoners personally, but it wouldn't be long judging by the noise Sam could hear down below. Sam knew she had to act fast before the Gao'uld started killing people.
Suddenly, the endless hours Sam had spent calculating how she'd blow up Seshat's palace given the chance paid off. Sam was able to pick out the best places for her charges despite her precarious position, her mind automatically making minor adjustments to earlier plans given the explosives she had and details in the terrain she could now see up close. Unfortunately, the overload on the units didn't give her much time to get out of the blast area. Sam had to scramble as the power pack whined into overload, ducking behind a boulder just in time as the first charge went off with a loud boom and a shower of rock. The results were better than she'd hoped. An impressive avalanche of rock and soil cascaded down the cliff, taking part of the outer palace wall with it and burying the currently unoccupied weapons assembly building below it. The second charge she hurried to place went off just as a group of the palace guards ran out to investigate, taking them by surprise.
Sam used the ensuing chaos to enter the palace unnoticed, hiding behind the one of the pillars that seemed standard décor on all Goa'uld palaces as a few more Jaffa ran past. A third explosion, further away told Sam that her father had also reached his destination, and agreed with her plan to move up the timing of their distraction. The distant blast was followed by a fourth and fifth that were so close together, Sam knew they must be chain reactions.
The far off explosions added to the confusion inside the palace. Despite the distance, she could feel the force of the blast in the weakened structure as she held onto the nearby pillar for balance, ducking when the ceiling cracked, raining dust and debris upon her head. Sam remained in a protective crouch as the room continued to shake, holding an arm up to protect her head. Given the force of the blast, she realized her Dad had probably managed to blow both the power unit storage area and Alkesh simultaneously. The sound of objects falling and stone walls crumbling coming from the cliff side made Sam suspect that the area she had already weakened had further given away, causing more of the outer wall to collapse. She felt a brief thrill of satisfaction even as her eyes scanned the room, suddenly worried about the structural integrity of the rest of the building. Even as she eyed growing cracks along the ceiling and walls, the shaking subsided, and another Jaffa ran by. Conflicting feelings of relief warred briefly with one of mild disappointment. The building was solid enough, she judged, to remain standing, despite the damage she'd helped inflict.
As soon as the shaking subsided, Sam moved deeper into the palace, heading towards what she hoped was the Stargate. Seshat had never had many true Jaffa to begin with, a fact that Sam suspected led to the Goa'uld taking such pains to remain hidden from the other Gao'uld, and to even use regular humans in place of Jaffa. Only a small handful of Seshat's Jaffa had remained behind to guard the palace, most of which now seemed to lack her confidence in the building's integrity and were intent on leaving quickly.
Sam moved stealthily, remaining undetected in the confusion, arriving finally at an open atrium. The Stargate stood undisturbed despite many signs of damage in the space around it. The destruction in this room was more evident, the chamber being somewhat closer to the outer corner Sam had attacked. Fortunately, the lack of a ceiling had protected the gate, but the back corner closest to the cliff had fallen in, and a pillar had fallen over, bisecting the space. Heavy pedestals had toppled, taking art and statues with them. The single Jaffa guard, obviously ill at ease at being left alone in the crumbling building was trying to pan all the entrances with his staff. He never saw her as she carefully circled the room took him down from behind with her zat.
Sam had just secured the downed man when the gate began to spin, the chevrons locking into place. Unsure at first who was coming through, and on the off chance Seshat actually did have some ally they didn't know about, Sam hid behind a statue. The blue event horizon fluctuated with gentle undulations, and at first nothing seemed to be happening. Sam waited anxiously, but then the MALP emerged with a sploosh, and she quickly stood. She waved as soon as the camera panned her way. Almost immediately, nearly a dozen heavily armed SG team members poured through the gate. Colonel O'Neill quickly began giving orders to hold the gate and secure the surrounding area. Daniel, one of the last to exit the gate, headed her way without hesitation. "Sam!" he called, giving her a concerned once over. His eyes lingered on the visible bruises and his face creased with worry.
"It's worse than it looks," she said quickly, before he could voice his questions. "I'm glad you guys could make it," she added, diverting any further comments. Daniel met her gaze thoughtfully for a moment, and then nodded. They had the mission to complete, and he trusted her to tell him if she wasn't ok.
The immediate area secured, O'Neill headed over as well, followed by Teal'c. "Carter," Jack said, removing his sunglasses and giving her his own once over. She stood a little straighter, lifting her chin, but knowing she looked less than impressive given her current diminutive state, oversized clothes, and mottled bruises visible under a layer of grime.
"Sir," she replied, not missing the wordless look the Colonel shot Daniel, or Daniel's brief nod. Also noting the nod, Teal'c inclined his head in greeting. "I am happy to see you well Major Carter," he said.
"What's the sit rep Carter?" Jack asked. Sam felt a burst of satisfaction at her commander's immediate return to business. He may have checked with Daniel, but then he had probably sent Daniel to check on her in the first place. And like Daniel, he trusted she'd tell him if she was unable to complete the mission.
"Sir, my Dad and I have managed to divert most of the Jaffa guarding the gate away, and Dad should've taken out the Alkesh that Seshat came here in. I don't know where Seshat is, but the prisoners are being held in a compound below us. They were being rounded up when Dad and I started our diversions. Dad was going to try and meet us back here." Sam shifted, worrying suddenly about what might be holding her father up from their planned rendezvous. She suddenly wished she had a better idea where exactly the Alkesh and the storage area her father had hit were located.
"So the snake head could be anywhere," Jack said, frowning. He gave the room a quick scan, as if Seshat might be nearby and stopped, a look of recognition coming over his face. Before Sam could turn, she heard a welcome and familiar voice.
"I saw her and a security contingent below, she looked like she was going to question the prisoners personally. She had a hand device," Jacob explained, arriving with Colonel Jameson from SG-11. He joined the group quickly, giving Sam's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I think we should be able to circle the camp and take her out. The few Jaffa she has left are spread pretty thin. She hasn't had time to rebuild her ranks after what happened on Earth, and she doesn't seem to have any of the human guards here that you guys saw on Earth."
"We'll need info on the layout of the compound," Jack said.
Sam bent quickly, gathering some debris that had fallen from the damaged ceiling. Those who weren't guarding an entrance moved in closer as she laid out the details of the camp, pointing out areas of concealment, where the prisoners would be, and how many guards she suspected were left. Jacob leaned over her and drew in a few more details from his more recent recon of the compound. Jack nodded at the explanation. "Jameson, who's your best shot?" he asked, looking down at the rough map. Jameson waved a young captain forward. "Jones, sir. He can hit just about anything."
"Good, Jones with me. Carter, Jacob, I want you both to lead teams to flank the compound. Carter, I want you to place your team over here," Jack ordered, stabbing at a place on the map representing an area of stacked crates, "And Jacob, get your men in position over here," he directed, stabbing again at the map. Sam saw the plan forming even before the Colonel finished giving his commands. "When Jones and I drop Seshat's guards, I want the rest of you to take out the Jaffa guarding the prisoners. Watch your friendlies. Let's go people." Jack quickly split up the remaining SGC members into the two designated groups, leaving a third smaller team to hold the gate.
Sam led her group back to the path she'd used to gain the cliff top. Climbing down proved easier than her earlier ascent and Sam was careful to have her small group spread out to avoid attention. After regrouping at the base of the cliff, Sam wordlessly signaled her group to take up positions around their assigned half of the camp. She couldn't see any movement on the other side, but knew that her father's team should be in position by now as well. They crouched, tense and waiting, looking out into the courtyard, where Seshat's Jaffa were holding one of the prisoners by the arms as their goddess used a hand device on the victim. Another crumpled body lay nearby.
The sharp reports of gunfire were their signal, and the two Jaffa holding the prisoner suddenly crumpled, taking the unfortunate victim with them. Seshat screamed in fury, spinning about, hand device raised as she searched for the source of the gunshots. Sam and the others gave her and her remaining guards little time to react, as they all rose as a unit, firing on the guards before they had time to retaliate. In seconds, every Jaffa was on the ground and almost a dozen weapons were trained on the Goa'uld. The parasite seemed more angered than worried though. Her eyes flashed as she held up the hand device which began to glow.
"Fools," she said in the distinctive dual toned voice of the symbiote. "You will suffer greatly for your impudence. Lay down your weapons now, and I may be inclined to offer mercy and allow you to serve me instead of watching you die slowly."
Around the compound, guns clicked, showing that the SGC team was willing to go down fighting. "You are outnumbered," Teal'c said. "It is you who should surrender, and we will show you mercy if you cooperate," he added, leveling his staff. Sam began to edge to a nearby fallen Jaffa.
"You will be the first to suffer, Shol'va," Seshat promised. The glow of the hand device intensified, and Sam ducked, pulling a knife from the fallen Jaffa. In one smooth motion she threw, the blade flipping end over end to bury itself point first into the glowing jewel and through the hand of the Goa'uld, a move she'd learned from Colonel O'Neill. Seshat screamed, falling to her knees and clutching her injured hand. SG-11 wasted no time in closing on her position, all pointing weapons.
"You do not realize what you have done," Seshat sneered. "Let me go, and we will rule the galaxy together," she tempted. Her eyes scanned the crowd, looking for support, and stopped at something just over Sam's shoulder. Too late, Sam heard a staff weapon arm, the crackle of energy tingling over her scalp as the business end was pressed hard into the back of her skull.
"Drop it," she heard Curtis say, his voice cold and hard. "Don't move. Nobody move unless I say so. Anybody tries anything and I'll blow her head off. I've seen what these things can do," he threatened. All heads turned in her direction as Sam dropped the zat she held, slowly raising her hands. Curtis gave her an impatient nudge to move her forward a few paces.
"Let my goddess go, or I swear, I'll fry her brains," he ordered. Seshat smiled in triumph. Before anyone had a chance to react though, a single shot rang out, and the pressure on the back of her head was gone, followed by a thud. Seshat howled in denial and Sam spun. Curtis lay crumpled, his arms out flung as if embracing death. His eyes were wide and staring, a single bullet hole nailed perfectly in the middle of his forehead.
"Oh, I think not," Colonel O'Neill announced, rising from cover. Jacob approached quickly, first checking to make sure Curtis was dead, and then giving Sam a quick pat down.
"You ok kid?" he asked, looking concerned. Sam nodded, momentarily at a loss for words. Jacob pulled her close for a quick hug. Ms. Hans joined them as Jack began to order the area secured and sent a team to check the area to make sure they hadn't missed any Jaffa.
"Sam, I'm not sure what I just saw. I'm not sure I want to know. I'm just glad you're ok," she said, kneeling down to eye level.
Sam shared a look with her father. "It's complicated," they both said in unison. Ms. Hans looked from one to the other, her confusion plain. Daniel and Teal'c chose that moment to join them. Ms. Hans stood, and stared in confusion. "Aren't you the janitor and you the French… No, no… I get it… complicated."
Daniel offered a hand. "Daniel Jackson," he said. Ms. Hans took it dubiously. "This is Teal'c. We could really use your help in getting everyone ready to go home, they could use a friendly face."
Ms. Hans took a deep breath; the idea of being useful did the trick in diverting the questions Sam could not answer. "Whatever you need me to do. I think I owe all of you, whoever you are, my life." Her glance took them all in, including Sam.
"Kids, we ready to hit the road yet?" Jack asked, joining them, and giving Ms. Hans another surprise. The woman just shook her head and excused herself, heading towards the nearest group of newly freed prisoners and beginning the process of calming and reassuring them.
To Sam it felt like no time at all before all the former captives were sorted, and headed up the path to Sehat's palace in a straggling line. Sam stayed behind to wait for the rest of her team. Seshat was secured and carefully guarded; her surviving guards rounded up for Teal'c to try and persuade to join the ranks of the Free Jaffa in their battle to free their brethren from their Goa'uld oppressors. From what Sam saw, he seemed to be making some headway. Many of them kept giving her sidelong glances. Probably not every day a Jaffa saw his god disabled by a mere child.
SG-1 regrouped in the courtyard below after the compound was finally emptied of the freed captives, and their former captors.
"So, Carter, you burned the school down," Jack said conversationally as the team headed toward the path the others had taken, making one last circuit to make sure the area was secured.
"You know, Jack," Daniel chimed in, "technically, Seshat blew it up before Sam's fire burned it down." Jack shrugged.
"Jacob Carter tells me that the distraction you devised was most effective in diverting the Jaffa guards from the gate room," Teal'c added.
"You guys should all be glad she's on our side," Jacob contributed, joining them from another direction. Sam suddenly was overly occupied with her footing, hiding a satisfied smirk. The damage to the palace had been most impressive, seen from the outside. At least a quarter of the building had collapsed, a large portion of it tumbling down the reshaped cliff side.
"Oh, hey, Carter, Daniel's taking care of your fish," Jack said suddenly, breaking into her musings.
Sam frowned in confusion. "What fish? I don't have a fish," she protested.
"You know, the fish," Jack supplied unhelpfully, replacing his sunglasses and taking a look up at the suns.
"The one you won at the carnival," Daniel offered with a sidelong look at Jack.
Jack turned back with a grin, as if Daniel had reminded him of something he'd forgotten. "That's the one. Little Sushi is doing quite well I'm told."
"Wait, you named the fish Sushi?" Sam asked, pausing in her climb to look at the guys in disbelief. Daniel quickly made a dismissing gesture, denying involvement. Jacob rolled his eyes.
Jack was happy to place blame. "It was all Teal'c. You know how he loves the stuff."
Their large teammate only seemed pleased. "Indeed," he contributed, inclining his head with a small smile. He reached down to give Sam a hand to the top, and she was tired enough to accept without protest.
"Well folks, I think we are safe to say this mission has been accomplished. What do you say we head home, I believe it's Meatloaf Monday in the commissary," Jack announced, looking over his sunglasses at his reunited team. His gaze lingered longest on his diminished Major, looking slightly worse for wear, but remarkably whole.
"Don't you mean Mystery Meatloaf Monday?" countered Daniel, as they entered what was left of Seshat's palace.
"Mystery Meat Monday! I miss those days!" Jacob exclaimed cheerfully. "Maybe I should stay for dinner, for old time's sake."
"What is the mystery Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked, nodding to SG-11 who had remained to guard the gate. At Jack's wave they quickly dialed up the gate, and Sam had never been more grateful for the familiar ka-woosh of the establishing wormhole.
"You don't want to know, Teal'c," Sam said with a grin, and stepped through the gate, back in familiar territory once more.
SG-1 territory.
A/N: Stay tuned for an epilogue.