Found - part 13

Suffering an extreme case of writers block - Aaaaaaa! Reading lots of fanfic to try and regain lost inspiration (no pun intended;-P ) In the meantime enjoy this chapter! The next chapter is written, so I'll probably post that later this week, and after that it's over to my muse to get its butt in gear!

Karelle and Jase found the long-lost ship after a thirty minute trek through the woodlands.

"There!" Jase yelled as he caught a glimpse of the grey outer armor of the ship. The 302 sat facing away from them, its nose pointed towards a long, flat runway of dry earth. After losing Luke, Sam had returned the 302 to serviceable conditions, and the old ex-Air Force officers had turned off the planet's electro-magnetic field, built the runway, and flown after the ship that had taken their son. They had flown for three days, but eventually had to turn back. The ship had obviously either broken free of the autopiloted route Sam had set it on, or … but the 'or' was too terrible to contemplate. They resolutely ignored the debris field as they passed it again on their way back to Amdra.

What this meant now though, was that, with Kennedy having turned off the magnetic field again, the 302 could once again be used.

"Will it fly?" Karelle asked anxiously.

"Let's find out." Jase said, pressing a control to open the hatch. He jumped into the front seat and looked over the controls, finding the one Tally had shown him. He flicked several switches and the '302 whirred to life.

"Well done!" Karelle exclaimed, impressed. "Now you can fly it?"

"I believe so." He answered, looking up into the sky. "Tally once told me that Earth was in the direction of the Kiroti Star, in mid-season. It is almost mid-season now, so I think if I follow that direction, I may yet catch the ship."

"You mean 'we'. 'We' may catch the ship." Karelle corrected him.

"Karelle! You cannot come! You are of too much importance to Amdra! And there is no guarantee you could return!" Jase protested.

"What is that expression Jack O'Neill used to use? Two heads are better than one?"

"I do not believe that applies to this situation." Jase retorted skeptically.

"Come on, Jase. Give an old woman some adventure before she dies. You need all the help you can get." Karelle argued. Jase considered her unhappily for a moment, not at all sure this was wise, but he could not refuse her.

"Very well. But on your head be it."

Karelle grinned, and with Jase's help, climbed up into the small craft.

"Let's go."

Haley gave up fiddling with the control panel in the elevator – it was quite clearly devoid of power. She leant back against the wall with Jack.

"So." She started conversationally.

"So." Jack offered.

There was an awkward pause.

"So . . . uh . . . Tally's pregnant?" Haley asked cautiously. Jack ducked his head for a minute, then squinted.

"Yeah."

"So . . . you're going to be a granddad." She continued. Jack frowned at her.

"I guess."

There was another rather awkward pause.

"Colonel O'Neill, Major Haley, I sincerely apologize for the lack of power I seem to have caused in your elevator, and would like to inform you that it will be restored just as soon as we're all back where we're supposed to be. On Earth." Kennedy's voice came over the intercom, sounding extremely smug.

"How do we reply to that?" Jack asked angrily.

"Press and hold this." Haley answered, indicating a button on the wall.

"Kennedy, you have taken us prisoner against our will! I order you to turn this ship around and take us back!" Jack yelled at the button he was pressing.

"I do not feel obliged to obey." Kennedy responded, even more smugly.

"You little son of a bitch! If you don't obey my order, I'll make sure you're court-martialed the second we get to the SGC!"

"It's all very well threatening me, O'Neill. But I think they'll take my side. Particularly the President."

"What the hell does that mean!?"

"I'm escorting three air force officers back to Earth for court-martial."

Haley felt her stomach roll. She'd known that helping Daniel and Teal'c would mean disobeying Kennedy's orders, but she still didn't relish the idea of losing everything she'd worked so hard to achieve.

"You haven't got a thing over us!" Jack yelled. "We're innocent!"

"Really. Last I checked, you and Major Carter were guilty of breaking regulations. Tally is the evidence. Also, Major Haley disobeyed my orders."

There was a shocked pause, during which Jack's face went from white, to grey, to bright red in fury.

"You'll never get away with this, Kennedy!" He yelled. There was no reply. Jack yelled again and kicked the door, while Haley watched nervously.

Teal'c had found a blow-torch, and was slowly burning a hole in the wall of the office adjoining the bridge. Tally watched anxiously, worried about the amount of noise they were making.

"There's no way he's not hearing this!" She hissed at Teal'c.

"The walls are all insulated and largely sound-proof. It is unlikely that he can." He replied, his voice muffled by the welding mask he was wearing.

It was slow work. Tally kept pacing in the small area they could inhabit while staying off the cameras. If it took too much longer to stop the ship, she was worried they wouldn't be able to find their way back.

Jase flew the ship towards the Kiroti Star, pushing the engines as fast as they'd go. Karelle sat behind him, frozen to her seat in terror and awe. They were in space, among the stars! The mere thought of it denied reason, or credibility.

Jase too felt a certain wonder at being above the sky, but kept his mind focused, as he had been taught when in combat training. There would be time for reflection, and amazement. Now, he had to get to Tally. He only hoped he could catch them.

Daniel and Sam slid slowly along the smooth surface of the access tube, barely breathing for fear of Kennedy hearing them. Daniel could see the hatch through which they would drop into the bridge, mere feet away. He stopped suddenly, thinking he'd heard something. Sam went still behind him, listening.

Daniel looked back over his shoulder at Sam. He mouthed 'Did you hear that?' to her. She frowned and shook her head. Daniel nodded and started forward again.

The panel of wall had made a loud clunk as it fell to the floor, having been melted away from the wall by Teal'c's blow torch. Tally winced and stood still, listening for evidence that Kennedy had heard it. Teal'c did likewise, then, satisfied that they were as yet undetected, he climbed through the opening.

Tally followed cautiously, keeping her ears open for the slightest sound. She could see the door to the bridge, where Kennedy was, presumably, waiting. Teal'c moved silently towards it, and pressed his ear to it, listening. After a moment he beckoned Tally to join him.

Still silently, Teal'c communicated to Tally again, that he would go left, and she right, and he would attempt to shoot Kennedy with his zat. Tally nodded, and Teal'c positioned his hand over the button that would open the door.

Daniel pulled himself to the other side of the hatch, and crouched down, facing Sam. They communicated silently, as they'd learnt to do all those years ago as SG-1. Sam took command, indicating that she would drop through the hatch first, and try to take Kennedy out with her zat. Then Daniel would follow. If necessary, they would then go in two different directions, to enable at least one of them a clear shot.

Daniel took hold of the handles, ready to lift the hatch and allow Sam to drop through it in one swift motion. He gave Sam one last smile and mouthed good luck. She smiled back, and nodded at him to do it. He lifted the hatch.

Please please please review! Need all the comments/suggestions etc that I can get, since I've taken this story in a completely different direction to the original version of it which I wrote several years ago. Should the group go back to Earth first, or just take the Gemini and fly off to look for Luke?? Anxious for your opinions.

Your humble writer,
Beka! :-D