"Any idea how we're going to get on board?" Sam asked.

"Yes, but not a good one," Jack answered. There was a pause. "You won't like it."

"Does it involve crashing?"

"Probably," Jack answered.

Sam muttered another muffled curse.

"Sir. May I point out that we have no idea how to identify an enemy combatant once we're aboard and no weapons, no C4, no tactical gear at all, not even a pocket knife?"

"Duly noted, Colonel." He paused, "You want to abort?"

"No, sir."

"Good. Then we're go."

"Yes, sir."

"And by the way, Colonel?"

"Yes?"

"I actually do have a pocket knife."

Sam smiled. "Duly noted. Anything else?"

"Shoelaces, half a pack of gum."

"Could come in handy."

From behind him, Sam could see the muscle shift in Jack's jaw that meant he had smiled. They left atmosphere behind them and were suddenly surrounded by stars. There was a cluster of brighter stars at their eleven o'clock and Jack set an erring course for it, hitting the thrusters and heading out at maximum speed. Sam felt a slight pressure on her body and then nothing as the inertial dampeners compensated.

"What's the crew complement?" Jack asked as the lights began to resolve into the shapes of the Mau Lo'an battle fleet.

"A Kekao-class cruiser in orbit has a skeleton crew of fifty. So a worst case scenario is that we face an enemy force that outmans us 25 to 1;and that's after we crash our only means of escape."

"I like how you're looking on the bright side," Jack said. "Can you get Prometheus back on the comm?"

"Yes," Sam answered, flipping switches.

The ships were tubular in shape, slightly smaller than Prometheus. They had a sleek design with weaponry hidden behind panels that opened to bring them to bear only when they were needed. The fleet was currently bristling with open weapons' bays and it formed a ball around a single vessel hovering in the center.

"Go ahead, sir," Sam said.

"Prometheus," Jack said.

"We're here, General," It was Prendergast who answered.

"Get me Dr. Jackson," Jack said.

"I'm right here," Daniel's voice crackled over the comm.

Jack gave a short, derisive snort. "I thought I told you to go to your quarters and stay there," he said.

"And I thought we worked that out a long time ago," Daniel answered. "What do you want, Jack?"

"I need an update from the Mau Lo'an commander about this mutiny. Have they that got it contained?"

"You think they're going to give sensitive military information to me?"

"I think they failed to keep visiting dignitaries safe from a rebel uprising and they better tell me what I want to know," Jack answered.

Sam recognized the tone in Jack's voice. He was angry – angry at the Mau Lo'ans and angry that he had to rely on Daniel to translate the information he needed.

But Jack had always trusted Daniel and he knew that Daniel knew what Jack needed – and that Daniel would get it for him. There was silence on the comm for a short time and Jack used the time to get them closer to the blockade.

"No weapons fire," Jack commented. His voice was now almost sleepy and that was Jack at his most dangerous.

"They either don't know what's happening on the Makani or they do and are holding fire. Either way it's probable they're hoping there are still personnel on board that haven't mutinied. There's no attempt to fire from the Makani and they haven't launched more fighters. But the Mau Lo'ans are still not in charge of whatever is happening on the Makani.

Jack grunted, which was his version of high praise. Sam was torn between pleasure and exasperation. At some point Jack was going to stop 'training' her and realize that she wasn't new at this. She was in fact the leader of the SGC's most elite and decorated team; and she hadn't told him anything just now that he didn't already know.

"Jack?" Daniel's voice asked.

"Right here," Jack answered, "What did you find out?"

"They've got the Makani surrounded and it appears to be a standoff at the moment."

"That much I already know," Jack replied.

"What? How can you know that? Where the hell are you?"

"Getting ready to run the blockade. What else can you tell me?"

There was a hesitation and Sam could clearly tell that Daniel was reining in his temper before answering.

"The mutineers have the Bridge and the fighter bays. They used a chemical gas to render the crew unconscious and then locked them in the Brig. Kaimano has no information on the number of people in the Brig as opposed to the number of mutineers. There was fifty eight on board at the time of the attack on the Prometheus. Jack, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to end this," Jack said, then quietly to Sam, "Kill the comm."

It cut off on Daniel's loud, "Ja-"

"You're freaking him out," Sam commented.

She got a louder and almost derisive grunt in response. "When you see him remind him that karma is a bitch."

Sam couldn't answer because Jack chose that moment to 'dive' the 302 in a heart-stopping vertical drop through the center of the blockade. In the floating sea of battle cruisers it was unclear whether the small fighter had been spotted. Not taking any chances Jack feinted to port and then bore down on the Makani.

"Can you warn me before you do that?" Sam asked, trying not to watch as Jack flew 'upside down' beneath the Makani.

"Next time, promise," he said. "Hangar Bay?"

"Two, one on each side. They open like the weapons bays. You'll have to check to see if one or both are open. If they are open the bay still may not be pressurized."

"Okay."

Jack flipped the 302 over in a perfectly executed barrel role and then pivoted in another sharp turn to port. It didn't take long to find the open bay door. Jack did a fly by so close Sam could see their reflection in the shining metal surface of the ship.

"It's open," he commented, unnecessarily.

"And there are people walking around, so it's pressurized."

"Sam?"

"Yes?"

"I said I would warn you next time. So hang on."

As Jack put them in another sharp descent and then hauled the little fighter around and put it on a direct course with the yawning opening of the hangar bay. For Sam it looked smaller than an aircraft carrier floating in the vastness of the open ocean. Jack was coming in at speed and there wasn't going to be any hook to stop them once they made atmosphere and were heading for the back wall of the bay.

'Hang on' would be the least optimal thing she could do. A little less than a microsecond past between Jack aiming for the bay doors and the blackness of space suddenly giving away to the brightly lit and cavernous main hangar. Sam was slammed back in her seat as Jack wrestled with reverse thrusters on full power while dodging Mau Lo'an fighter planes, stacked crates and people who were frantically diving for cover.

The 302 hit the flight deck, bounced and the reverse thrusters screamed as Jack attempted to brake the craft. The rear bulkhead loomed closer and closer. Jack brought the fighter down on the deck with a jaw cracking thud and held it there with what seemed like the force of his own will. The 302 went skidding across the floor with a screech of metal on metal. They slowed with the bulkhead getting more and more imposing, did a shaky half turn and slid to an unsteady halt. Lights and warning chimes went off all over the 302.

"Jack!" Sam said, urgently, "Weapons?"

"You want to fire them in here? Take out a wall and lose the pressure?"

"No, but…."

She didn't finish the sentence. She didn't have to. Jack's heartfelt curse told her he had seen. About a half dozen people were emerging from behind cover, approaching across the hangar with weapons raised with intent and purpose. There was nothing but solid bulkhead behind the 302.

"Options?" Sam asked, tensely.

"Only one," Jack's voice was flat. "Surrender."

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