Found - part 22

Hi guys. Once again I find myself apologising for keeping you waiting for over a month. I'm so sorry. I'll try not to let it happen again, but real life keeps getting in the way. (Grrr, real life, why can't it mind its own business??)

I hope you enjoy this chapter. As you can probably tell, the end is almost in sight now! The bad news is I'm kinda getting an idea for a sequel to this ...

Staff Sergeant Howard Mead ran up the staircase to the briefing room, and knocked loudly on Dr Weir's office door.

"Come in."

Howard entered, panting slightly, and handed a piece of fax paper to the SGC's commander. "This just came through from NORAD ma'am, a Goa'uld cargo ship has appeared in low Earth orbit. Telemetry indicates it emerged from hyper-space at around 0940 hours."

Dr Weir, her once brunette hair now streaked liberally with grey, nodded. "Do we know who they are? Have they attempted to communicate?"

"Yes ma'am." He indicated the bottom of the fax. "She claims to be a human woman who knows Dr Jackson. She says she has important information that could benefit us both."

Weir raised an eyebrow. "Really. Well, it's not everyday that we get offers of help. Have the Gemini check her out, and then, if she passes inspection, she can come here and explain what she means."

"Yes ma'am." Howard nodded and promptly left the office, leaving Elizabeth Weir with a curious smile on her face.

"Hello boys." Vala said with a wide smile, as she and Luke ringed aboard the Gemini to be greeted by six armed men.

"Ms Mal Doran?" A man whose name tag revealed him to be Major Wyatt asked. "We weren't expecting more than one of you."

"Oh, him?" Vala cast a glance back at Luke as though she'd forgotten he was there. "Don't worry about him, he's my … apprentice."

Wyatt nodded stiffly. "I'm going to have to ask you to open any bags you have for a routine search, reveal any weapons you have concealed about your person, and submit for a body search."

Vala smiled cheekily at him. "Well, if you wanted to feel me up officer, you could try plying me with dinner and a nice beverage. Much more civilized."

"Stand facing the wall and spread your arms and legs, please." Wyatt ordered. Luke complied immediately, and Vala reluctantly followed suit.

"This is terribly rude, you know." She protested. After removing a knife from her waistband and a zat from one of their bags, the airmen completed their search, and announced the pair were clean.

"If you'll please follow me ma'am, Dr Weir is expecting you." The major told her, and she and Luke collected their bags and followed him out of the ring room, Vala winking at Luke with a quick grin.

"Daniel?" Dr Weir knocked on the door frame of Daniel's office, only mildly surprised to find Tally with him.

"Elizabeth, come in." He replied, standing out of habit as she entered.

"I'll catch you later." Tally said, patting him on the back and smiling at Dr Weir as she excused herself, and left them alone.

"So, what can I do for you?" Daniel asked once Tally had gone.

"We just got a message from a woman who's orbiting Earth in a cargo ship. She says she has information that could help us." Elizabeth told him.

Daniel raised his eyebrows. "Oh? What kind of information?"

"Don't know yet, she's coming to the SGC to tell us more. I'd like you to be there to meet her."

"Alright. You think it might be about the Ori?" He guessed.

"I don't know, but she says she knows you, so I thought maybe you'd be a better judge of how far I can trust her."

"Who is she?"

"Her name is Vala Mal Doran."

Several expressions shifted through Daniel's face, and Elizabeth wasn't sure she liked the one he settled on.

"No."

She frowned at him. "No? What do you mean?"

"You can't trust her. Don't trust a thing she says, she's a thief and she's only interested in helping herself."

Elizabeth took a deep breath. "You think I should tell the Gemini to send her on her way?"

"Yes … no … y – I don't know. I guess there's a remote possibility that she has something useful to say, but I doubt she's here for our benefit."

"Well, we could meet with her, keep a wary eye, and just remember to take anything she tells us with a pinch of salt?" She suggested.

Daniel winced. "I guess. Do I really have to be there?"

"Yes. You know her, and I could use that kind of advantage, especially if we're dealing with someone untrustworthy."

He sighed. "When is she arriving?"

"Any minute." Weir half turned towards the door, and waited for him to follow.

Daniel forced a smile. "Great."

A flash of light briefly lit up the gate room, and then there were six extra people at the bottom of the ramp – Vala, Luke, and Major Wyatt's team.

"Well, don't you all have me surrounded." Vala commented with a smile.

"Welcome to the SGC, my name is Dr Elizabeth Weir." Dr Weir said, identifying herself as the leader in the room full of military men.

"Thank you so much for the lovely greeting party, we all had a wonderful time searching each other, didn't we boys?" Vala shot that last comment at Wyatt's team, and Luke rolled his eyes. Dr Weir's gaze zeroed in on the boy.

"I wasn't told there were two of you."

"She claims that he's an apprentice." Wyatt told her.

"Ah, corrupting young minds now, are you?" Daniel said. Vala walked over to him and beamed.

"Daniel. It's so good to see you. How've you been?"

"Oh, you know, same old, same old. Why are you here?"

"My dear Daniel, I thought we could spend some quality time together first, catch up, maybe you could show me your quarters …" She said suggestively, smiling impishly at him. Luke rolled his eyes again in tandem with Daniel, and stepped forward.

"We have a tablet which we believe was written by the Ancients, and we have reason to believe that one of your allies is being held hostage." He said, after finally losing patience with Vala's flirting. She turned around and glared at him.

"What happened to letting me do the talking?" She hissed.

"Who?" Daniel asked, now entirely focused on Luke.

"A jaffa called Teal'c."

Daniel's eyebrows rose, his eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open.

"Just him? There were some other people with him …"

Vala sighed impatiently. "The jaffa who captured them claim to have four hostages. Although we know they lied about the identity of two of them, so who knows?"

"Also, I have information about two of your people who went missing over eighteen years ago." Luke continued.

Daniel's eyebrows rose even higher. That sounded oddly familiar.

"Oh?" Weir prompted.

"Colonel Jack O'Neill and Major Samantha Carter. They're stranded on a planet called Amdra in a different galaxy, but I know where that galaxy is in relation to this one. If you have the power to get there, I can take you."

Vala lost all patience with Luke, and grabbing his arm, pulled him over to have a quick whispered conversation with him. "What are you doing?" She demanded. "I thought we agreed that I would handle this, and that we'd get to the bit about your parents after they rescue the hostages and let me find that Ancient treasure?"

He glared back and pulled his arm out of her grasp.

"Who are you?" Daniel called over to the boy.

Luke walked back over to the group, and straightened. "I'm Luke Daniel O'Neill, their son."

What did you think? Please let me know. Review me!

Beka