Welcome back! I am so, so, so sorry this one took so long to post. Real life got in the way and it couldn't be helped. I am aiming for a chapter a week, but this one just didn't make it. Sick child, sick me, lots of work = not enough happy writing time. Anyway, this one is longer than most, so I hope that makes up for some of your wait. I beg your forgiveness. :0)

I love the reviews I've received, especially the "I hate Hailey" ones. Lol. I had no idea she was such a controversial character. I really liked her and thought they should have done more with her. I actually had hoped they'd put her in the cast of SGU when they announced the premise. Alas, it quickly became quite clear that if I wanted to see more of her, I'd have to do it myself.

I'd like to thank sbz again for taking time in her busy life to beta read for me. I've said it once and I'll say it again... she deserves to be paid for this.

And with that... on with the show!

Disclaimer: No Tel'tak were harmed in the making of this chapter.

Warning! That little whistle tune Darryl Hannah's character spouts out in the beginning of "Kill Bill" is guaranteed to get stuck in even the strongest mind for a minimum of three weeks. I'm not kidding!

Once the Twilight

Chapter Four

"Are you ever going to tell me what happened?"

"No," Sam said to her father. He'd been giving her not-so-subtle hints that he wanted to talk since they'd boarded the ship. "It's not important."

"It sure sounded important to me… and you've been avoiding him ever since we left Earth."

Sam shrugged, trying to ignore the worry in his eyes. "I haven't been avoiding him."

"Sam, we're in a two room Tel'tak. If he's in the cargo bay, you're in the flight deck. If he's in the flight deck, you're…" he gestured to their surroundings, "in the cargo bay. It's impossible to pull that off for three days unless it's deliberate."

With a frustrated sigh, Sam put down the weapon she'd been cleaning and sat back against the wall. She drew her legs up and planted her feet flat on the floor in front of her. "What do you want me to say, dad? That I don't like him? That he makes my skin crawl? Fine. I've said it." She crossed her arms. "It doesn't change anything."

Jacob narrowed his gaze. "Jack said he almost killed you. What is he doing here?"

"It's complicated."

"I gathered that. You've all been acting very…" he searched for the right word, "…professional, and I'm trying to honor that." He looked her squarely in the eye. "But it's a losing battle. No one will tell me anything. They all say the same thing; it's your place to explain things, but Sam, you're not talking. I don't even know if I should be sleeping with one eye open."

She sighed. "He's not a danger. I'm sleeping just fine," she lied.

He gave her a knowing look. "Why would the SGC allow someone who attacked one of its officers to walk around free? Why isn't he in a brig back on Earth?"

Sam shook her head. "You know as well as I do that what his people have to offer us far outweighs anything that's happened in our past… and his people need our help. They aren't to blame for what he did."

"And what was that again?"

She looked at him for a long time, trying to decide whether this was even a conversation she wanted to have. She loved her father… felt she could tell him anything. But this situation was already taxing her last reserves. She wanted to be one hundred percent. If her mind kept circling around the hatred she held for their "ally," the team could suffer.

He sat patiently and waited for her to make up her mind. Finally, she glanced up to make sure they were indeed alone. She pulled up the hem of her shirt.

"This is what he did."

Jacob's eyes widened. "Sam." His voice stuck in his throat. He leaned in closer to get a better look at the ugly scar that ran diagonally across her midriff. It was jagged and thicker in places than others. Parts of it looked like the scars of a burn victim, all puckered and discolored. It was not the kind of scar found on a living person.

"His people attacked me and Teal'c. They left Teal'c alone, but Galek took offense to my presence on a military team. He punished me with this."

"Why didn't I know about this? Why didn't you call me? The recovery must have been—"

"It was rough," Sam confirmed. She lowered the shirt and leaned her head against the wall. Its cold surface soothed the headache that was growing there. "And I'd rather just put it behind me."

"Why? I think you should kick his ass."

She smiled. "Is that the General talking?"

He returned her smile. "No. It's the dad." He scooted to sit beside her against the wall. "From the looks I've caught Jack throwing him the last couple of days, I'm sure he'd be willing to help."

She chuckled and shook her head. "It'll be fine. He's not a bad person. He just comes from a different place. He's already been punished for what he did to me and I think he's ready to work together." She thought of the missing fingers on his hand. His leader, Kailan, had cut them off in a ceremony meant to prove to SG-1 that he regretted what had been done. Galek had still remained loyal to him, even after that. "Now that we're allies, I don't think he's a danger to any of us." She met his eyes, hoping she was right. It was hard to imagine an ounce of goodness in a person who kicked a woman when she was down, but if she didn't tell herself that, she didn't think she'd make it through the mission. "He did save my life when it really mattered."

Jacob shook his head. "I still don't like it."

Sam reached for his hand and squeezed it. His fingers were starting to wrinkle, but there was still a comforting strength in them. "I'll be okay."

"I know you will." His expression left no doubt that he meant it. "I just wish I'd never brought that guy to you."

"You didn't know." She shrugged. "And I'm glad you brought him. If there is an Ancient device on his planet, I need to get a look at it."

"You know I'd go with you if I could." He turned to look at the empty doorway that led to the flight deck where the others waited. "I'd like to be able to keep my eye on things."

"I don't need you to watch me."

"I know that. I was worried about Daniel." He gave her a wink.

"Hey, Jacob!" the Colonel's voice interrupted, carried through the open doorway. "Better get in here. Your people are trying to contact us."

Jacob nodded. "Be right there, Jack." He reached out and patted Sam on the shoulder. "I know you can handle yourself, kiddo." He stood and walked to the door. He stopped and turned back to her. "Just don't go out of your way to try and prove it to them."

Sam watched him go and shook her head. Uncanny. He saw through her every time. Of her time spent on Galek's planet, it hadn't been his treatment of her that she still occasionally had nightmares about. It hadn't been the fear of death. It hadn't been the king's plan to sell them out to Apophis.

It had been the helplessness. On that planet, for the first time since she'd been a member of SG-1, she'd truly been a burden.

She ran her hands through her short hair and closed her eyes tight for just a moment. Then she took a deep breath, pushed up from the floor, and left the cargo bay.

Her father had taken the seat next to Teal'c in front of the large window at the head of the Tel'tak. The Colonel, Daniel and Galek stood behind them. Hailey leaned against the smaller spherical panel platform that was centered a few paces back from the two chairs. They were all looking at something outside and out of view to the right.

"Are you kidding, Jacob?" the Colonel said. His voice held more than a hint of skepticism.

"No, Jack," Jacob said. "That's her."

Sam stepped forward until she could see out the window. Another Tel'tak hovered nearby. She could see inside its window to make out the two Tok'ra flying it. Well, attempting to fly it. It drifted to the left and dipped slightly as they watched. A patchwork of different colored plates of metal made up the paneling, and abundant scoring covered what she assumed to be the original hull. This ship had seen a lot of battle.

"We're grateful the Tok'ra are willing to give us the ship, dad," she threw the Colonel a warning look. "Its cloak will help us land close to the mine without being detected."

The Colonel raised an eyebrow in his, I'm completely innocent look. "If it even makes it to the planet," he said.

"It needs just a little work that Sam is more than capable to do en route," Jacob said. "Sorry I can't take you myself, but—"

"It's another four days to the planet. I think we'll manage." The Colonel held out his hand to Jacob. "Thanks for the lift."

Jacob took his hand and shook it. "Good luck to you." He looked at Sam. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

A shrill beeping sound intruded on Jack's light sleep. He lifted the brim of his hat off his eyes and glanced through the dim light at Teal'c who sat beside him in the pilot seat. The lights on the panel in front of them cast shadows across his friend's silhouette. He remembered turning off the lights in the flight deck to make it easier to get some sleep.

He cleared his throat. "What's that mean?" he asked, nodding toward the alarm.

Teal'c reached over and flipped a switch. The sound shut off. "We are approaching the planet," he said. "It is almost time to engage the cloaking device."

Jack sat up and took a look through the window. He knew they were far enough away that he wouldn't see the planet yet, but his eyes searched for it anyway. "Has Carter got it up and running?"

Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "She and Lieutenant Hailey have continued to work on it through the night. I am not aware of their progress."

Jack sighed. He had hoped all of them would get some sleep before the big day. He stood and stretched, taking in the soft glow of light that drifted through the doorway from the cargo bay. He stepped over Daniel's outstretched legs and spied Galek asleep against the bulkhead.

Conflict personified. He wished he could throw the guy out an airlock and be done with him, but if Carter could deal, then so could he. Still, his reappearance had brought back a whole lot of images he'd wanted gone for good. Carter's bloody footprints they'd followed for over a day to find her. The angry festering wound in her gut. Watching Galek kick her without restraint when she'd fought back.

He'd like to see him try it again now that she was healthy.

Once he stepped through the doorway, he heard hushed female voices at the back near what he liked to call the ship's "fuse box."

Carter had pulled out the panel like it was a file cabinet drawer and lay underneath the jumble of colorful crystals, her knees bent up, feet flat on the floor. Her hands fiddled with something on the underside of the crystal tray while Hailey bent over to work from the top.

They said dynamite came in small packages, and the same was true with Lieutenant Hailey. Despite what he'd told Carter in the past, the young woman made him smile. She had a spunk he could respect. Not unlike her current mentor.

"No," Carter said to her. Her voice held a trace of amusement. "It's the other one. A little to the right." She shifted a bit to get a better angle.

"I think I got it," Hailey said.

"Yep. It should just slide in now."

Hailey picked up a crystal that had been lying on the floor beside her knee and placed it inside the socket in the panel. Instantly, the drawer lit up with sparks. Hailey let out a surprised shout and threw herself back.

Jack rushed forward and grabbed Carter by the ankles. He pulled her out and away from the mess. It let off another volley of sparks before the whole panel went dark.

Carter rolled to her belly and groaned. "That should have worked."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Carter, please don't tell me the cloak isn't going to work."

She threw him an angry look and pushed up from the floor. "If this thing would just cooperate…" After a quick inspection of the crystals, she let out a relieved sigh. "None of them are cracked, sir. It was just a surge." She reached in and played with something until the panel hummed to life. She pushed the contraption back into the wall and turned to him. "Is Teal'c ready to test the cloak?"

Jack nodded. "Go ahead and try it, T," he shouted loud enough to be heard in the other room.

All eyes moved to the panel to see if they were in for more fireworks. Jack realized he was holding his breath and reminded himself to breathe.

Nothing happened.

"T?"

Carter looked at Hailey and then back at him. She shrugged.

"Teal'c?" A little annoyance tinted his voice.

"The cloak is engaged, O'Neill."

Jack watched Carter's shoulders relax. He smiled at her. "Never doubted you for a second," he said.

"It still has to hold up through re-entry," she said. She bent to put her tools back into a small duffle.

Hailey took a swig from her canteen and sat down roughly to lean against the wall. She looked exhausted.

"How are you holding up?" he asked her.

She sat up straighter and he thought for a minute she might salute. "I could go a couple more days, sir."

He glanced at Carter, whose eyes took on an amused twinkle and the corners of her lips turned up. He hid his own smile. "Good. 'Cause you never know when you may have to." He looked back at Carter. "Dedication," he said. "I like it."

Carter looked as if she may laugh, but then her gaze settled on something over his shoulder and her smile disappeared. A wall went up almost instantly and she turned back to finish putting her tools in the bag.

Jack knew why before he even turned around.

Galek stood in the doorway rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Teal'c asked me to inform you that we are on approach to my world and that there are three Ha'tak in orbit."

"They can't see us," Carter told him. She carried the duffel bag and set it on top of the storage containers stacked along the wall.

Galek shook his head. "I do not understand these technologies," he said. "The first time I saw a ship appear from nothing in the sky I thought it was evil magic."

"At least you got it half right," Jack said. He followed Carter into the next room.

Daniel looked up from his seat beside Teal'c and pushed his glasses up his nose. "We're coming in under the first one now," he reported.

"Any sign they've seen us?"

"Well," he said, "they're not shooting at us. I'd call that a good sign."

Jack rolled his eyes and looked out the window. A large pyramid-shaped ship loomed overhead. Another lay straight ahead. He couldn't spot the third.

"It's moved in behind us," Carter said, almost as if she'd read his mind.

"Anyone else getting a little claustrophobic?"

"Now Daniel," Jack said. "No need to be overly dramatic."

Outside their little sanctuary there was a mass of activity. Squads of death gliders flew in formation. Transport ships rose from the blue tinted atmosphere of the planet below and made their way to the Ha'tak ahead. More Tel'taks exited the bay of the same ship and instantly turned downward.

Silence filled the cabin. Unreasonable as he knew it was, Jack felt as if the slightest sound could alert the masses to their presence. Then it would all be over.

A light started flashing on the panel in front of Teal'c.

"What's that?" Hailey asked, not quite in a whisper.

"Proximity alert," Teal'c answered. He nodded toward the left and an instant later an Al'kesh fell in alongside them.

"Teal'c?" Jack asked.

Teal'c shook his head. "Our cloak is stable. They do not see us."

All eyes watched the ship as it shadowed them. The was thick with tension.

"Carter," Jack said, "Just out of curiosity, how much firepower could this bird handle?"

"Little to none," she answered. "It's practically falling apart already."

He nodded, his eyes still on the Al'kesh. "Good to know."

Without warning, a blinding light lit up the window. Jack threw up his hand to guard his eyes as everyone took an instinctive step backward.

"Are we under attack?" Galek asked.

"No," Teal'c answered. The light disappeared. He pointed to the Ha'tak above. "Ring transport. We almost intercepted the matter stream."

Jack shook his head. Had that happened, whatever… or whomever the rings had been transporting from the planet to the Ha'tak would have appeared on the ring platform inside their little ship. Most likely it wouldn't have been pretty.

Teal'c touched a few buttons on the panel and placed his palms on top of the orange sphere that was used to steer the ship. "We are nearing the entry coordinates."

"Tell me again why we couldn't just go in on the other side of the planet and then fly to the mine the back way?" Jack asked.

"I don't know if the shields will hold through re-entry. This way, if they do fail, we can still probably get the ship down near our target site before we're detected," Carter answered.

"But if they fail up here, we're toast."

"Pretty much," she answered.

Jack nodded. "Just checking."

Teal'c turned the Tel'tak slightly and Jack watched the Ha'tak in the center of window migrate to the left.

The Al'kesh alongside them continued on its previous course and quickly faded into the near distance.

Collectively, they released a relieved breath.

"There appears to be a storm over the landing site," Teal'c reported.

"How bad?" Jack asked.

"Readings reveal heavy rain, lightening… possible hail."

"Just as I told you it would be," Galek said. "The seasons have changed since you were here last."

"What kind of walk are we talking about here?"

"The coordinates I have given will land us within two kilometers of our entry point to the mines, which lies nestled in the valley between two mountains. There will be many trees to shield us from the winds."

"And how long once we enter the mine until we get to the target?"

"A couple of days," Galek answered. "There is much climbing to do and it is still far away. This exit was originally dug by slaves intent on escape and has taken decades to complete. It has been nearly as hard to hide it from the guards as it was to dig. It is not a path for the weak." He glanced at Carter and Hailey and pursed his lips.

Hailey's eyes narrowed, but to her credit, she bit her tongue. The Hailey Jack had seen before her entrance to the SGC would not have been so restrained.

"Good thing we didn't bring Walter, then," Jack said.

"O'Neill," Teal'c interrupted.

"Yeah?"

Teal'c's face was tight. He kept his eyes on the screen in front of them, but his hands had tightened around the orange sphere. "There are four vessels approaching from below. There is no time to—"

The proximity light blinked again, but it was too late. An Al'kesh rose up from below them, seemingly inches from the window in front, its momentum tossing the Tel'tak to the right. Another ship rushed past them, barely missing their right side. The third wasn't so lucky. When it hit them, the sound was deafening.

Jack threw out his hands to break his fall as the ship was tossed. Carter landed beside him. Metal ground on metal and something in the cargo hold exploded. Instantly, they were thrown into a spin.

Jack closed his eyes to fight dizziness and yelled over the whine of the now overtaxed engines. Emergency alarms blared.

"Teal'c?"

"I am trying!" Teal'c's voice was tense as he fought to right the ship.

Jack reached out to grab the bottom of Daniel's seat to avoid sliding backward.

With nothing else close by, Carter grasped his leg and held tight.

Jack couldn't see how the others were fairing, but he heard someone's pained shout from the wall opposite him.

There was a loud crash against the bulkhead.

"That cargo won't come through that wall, will it?" he asked.

Carter shouted up to him, "I think it's strong enough, but I wouldn't make any bets!"

The engines screamed louder, then, and Jack felt them leveling off. Jack relaxed his death grip on the chair and took a look around.

"Anyone get the make and model on that hit and run?" he asked, then more seriously, "Everyone all right?

"I'm okay," Daniel said. He'd fallen to the floor between his chair and the front control board.

"Fine," Carter answered. She sat up and rotated her left shoulder to work a kink out.

Hailey, who'd slid around near Teal'c's feet, stood gingerly. She held her hand to her head. "Nothing an Advil wouldn't cure," she said.

Galek reached the back of his hand up to wipe blood from a split lip. "Perhaps it is not all good to be invisible," he said with a frown.

"I do not know why our sensors did not detect the convoy before it was too late," Teal'c said. "We were lucky to have only brushed against the Al'kesh."

"Brushed against?" Jack asked.

"It was a minor collision," Teal'c said just as his board lit up again.

"Now what?"

Carter stood and looked over Teal'c's shoulder. Her face grew tense. "Knock invisibility all you want, Galek," she said, "but I think we're all going to miss it in a minute."

"The cloak is offline," Teal'c confirmed. "We have been detected."

Believe it or not, chapter five is almost finished. :0) I love the reviews. They make me very happy. Even more happy than chocolate. :0)