'How come you get to go and I don't?' Vala complained, wiping a hand over her sweaty brow. She lounged back against the gold wall of the cargo ship cockpit and pouted.

Jonas grinned at her as he sat down in the pilot's seat. 'It's my cargo ship. I go wherever it goes.'

'You know that excuse is getting rather old.' Vala grumbled.

Cassie hid a smile at their bantering as she sat down in the passenger seat Rya'c vacated for her. The Jaffa moved to stand behind her.

'Besides,' Daniel said as he and Mitchell entered from stowing the supplies in the back, 'you have naquadah in your blood and we don't know if you can communicate with the dragons safely.'

'We'd rather not end up with you in the same position as Sam.' Mitchell added.

Vala sighed heavily. 'Fine. I'll just...' She pointed at the door.

'Bye!' Daniel gave her a small wave.

She glared at him but she made her way out of the cargo ship. Mitchell followed her to close the door.

Jonas waited until he saw Teal'c and Vala had walked back to the pyramid steps before he took the cargo ship up into the sky. He cloaked the ship to give them greater stealth.

'So where to now?' Jonas asked.

'We should head to the Stargate and keep going.' Mitchell suggested. 'Puff and the other dragon flew off in that direction.'

'It was also the direction that the dragon attempted to carry Cassandra Fraiser towards.' Rya'c agreed.

Jonas made an adjustment to the flight path and the cargo ship swerved and looped through the clouds.

Cassie settled back and watched the jungle underneath them. They were way past the Stargate and the spot where she had fallen after zatting the dragon. The early morning sunshine was bright; it glinted dully off the metal of the ship and Cassie found herself blinking as sunspots obscured her vision. She turned away from the view and glanced around the small team.

Jonas was the only addition to the group that had set out in search of the dragon a couple of days before. She could tell that he was excited at the prospect of meeting them despite the danger and the circumstances. He'd been enthralled by the descriptions of Puff and how the baby dragon had been so protective of her.

Their mission, as Jack had stated several times at that morning's briefing, was purely recon. They were to find the dragons' location, make an assessment of numbers and threat; to gather intel so they could determine what the best way to approach them might be. Jack had suggested Cassie should stay behind but Daniel had argued for her inclusion again; if they did run engage with the dragons for any reason, Cassie was the only one who could communicate with them. On one hand, she was pleased that she was considered so vital that she had to be included, and on the other, she was incredibly apprehensive. Their previous attempt at convincing the dragons to help them with Sam hadn't gone too well and she couldn't help feeling that had been her fault somehow.

The cargo ship suddenly rose steeply.

'Woah.' Mitchell suddenly moved to stare out of the windshield.

Cassie followed his gaze and her mouth fell open a little. The jungle landscape was giving way to a vast mountain range. Beneath them the green lush environment disappeared and yellow and brown rock took its place. The ground rose up sharply. The mountain was huge and Cassie couldn't see any paths along its rocky side; it seemed uncompromisingly inaccessible.

'I guess they're not keen on visitors.' Mitchell murmured.

'Would you be?' Daniel replied. He stood just behind Jonas, one hand on the back of the pilot seat. 'They were oppressed by the Goa'uld for a long time.'

'Uh, I think I see something.' Jonas slowed the cargo ship as he gestured toward a dark cloud ahead of them almost covering the horizon.

'I don't see anything.' Mitchell complained.

Daniel leaned forward. 'It looks like a swarm of birds.'

Rya'c pointed as the cloud shifted formation. 'Those are not birds.'

'It's the dragons.' Daniel said, a note of awe in his tone.

Cassie's mouth went dry as she took in the size of the swarm. 'There has to be dozens of them.' She was suddenly massively grateful for the cloak that kept them hidden from view.

'Can you get us closer?' Mitchell asked urgently.

Jonas shot him a look. 'Is that wise?'

Mitchell's lips twisted. 'We need to know what we're up against.'

'With all due respect,' Jonas said, 'I think we can see what we're up against just fine from here.'

Daniel cleared his throat before Mitchell could argue. 'Maybe we should try going around them and seeing what's on the ground.'

Jonas acquiesced and took the cargo ship down. They skimmed the surface of the mountain as they gave the cloud of flying dragons a wide berth. They crested a ridge and Jonas brought the cargo ship to a halt as they looked out at the sheltered canyon below them.

As far as they could see, there were dragons nesting; dragons of every shape and size; of brilliantly jewelled green, red, purple and gold, and some of a plain muddy-brown hue. There were groups of young dragons scampering along the ground; in and out of nests as they played. A mud bath took up one corner of the canyon and they could see some dragons rolling in it; letting the suns bake it into their scaly skin.

'Well, we found them,' said Mitchell. 'Here there be dragons.'

'Lots of dragons,' agreed Daniel.

'They are a sizeable number.' Rya'c agreed grimly.

There weren't just dozens of dragons, Cassie thought, half-panicked; there were hundreds.

Mitchell gestured out at the canyon walls. 'They have sentries posted along the edges: look!'

Daniel nodded. 'There seems to be a meeting place over there.'

Jonas scooted them closer; careful to stay high enough not to disturb the dragons. The place where Daniel had pointed towards was a naturally raised circle of stone surrounded by four massive boulders. A silver dragon held court in the centre.

Cassie wet her lips. The dragon looked identical to the one in the pictures in the pyramid. 'Is that...'

'The Queen.' Daniel supplied. 'It looks like the one in the pictures but it must be a direct ancestor.'

'Wow.' Jonas murmured. 'She's...stunning.'

Cassie felt something brush across the surface of her mind. She blinked. 'Uh, guys?'

They all turned to her.

'Something just gave me a mental nudge.' Cassie explained hurriedly. Her hands dug into the leather arms of her chair.

'Maybe we should...' Daniel began.

'Get out of here?' Mitchell finished.

Jonas nodded. 'Sounds good to me.'

Suddenly below them, the Dragon Queen's head swivelled towards them and froze as she looked up at the exact spot which marked their position.

They all stared back.

'Uh, she can't see us, right?' Mitchell asked hurriedly.

Jonas frowned. 'We're cloaked so I don't see how.'

'She sensed me.' Cassie said anxiously. 'That's how she knows where we are.'

'How?' Jonas demanded.

'Never mind how,' Mitchell ordered, 'let's get out of here: now.'

Jonas set his hands on the control and turned the cargo ship away from the glaring Queen; back in the direction they had flown. He stopped abruptly.

The swarm of dragons they had seen in the sky was heading directly towards them at speed.

Cassie's heart skipped a beat.

Mitchell swore. 'This is bad.'

'Very bad,' agreed Jonas.

'We could fire on them!' Rya'c suggested. 'Warn them away!'

'No!' Mitchell said. 'That would give our position away.' He looked over at the Jaffa. 'How good are you at flying one of these buckets?'

'He's better than me.' Jonas motioned for Rya'c to take over from him.

Rya'c moved into the pilot's seat and took the controls. Immediately, the cargo ship dived. The swarm moved to intercept.

'How do they know where we are?' Mitchell demanded.

Rya'c tried another evasion; looping up and over, down and under, trying to shake them. The swarm matched his every move.

'I hate to say it, but this isn't working.' Jonas clutched the back of Cassie's chair, trying to keep himself upright as the cargo ship lurched to the right.

'They're following the shift in the air currents.' Mitchell's blue eyes hardened. 'You have shields right?'

'Right!' Jonas informed him quickly.

'Then: full stop.' Mitchell ordered.

Rya'c glanced at him but he brought the cargo ship to a halt.

'Brace for impact!' Mitchell said.

Cassie gripped her chair and watched as the swarm of dragons rushed at the cargo ship. Somehow they didn't hit it; they broke off just in front, rushing around the vessel as though they knew its exact shape; their collective force buffeted it making it rock wildly from side to side despite its technology. Cassie felt her stomach roil in protest as the dragons stopped and the ship steadied as Rya'c engaged something on the console.

'I think I'm going to be sick.'

It took Cassie a moment to realise it had been Jonas who had spoken and not herself. He had placed a hand over his belly.

'Me too.' She agreed.

'Me three.' Daniel held up his hand. 'Are they gone?'

'They're coming back!' Rya'c said, looking at the ship's sensor.

For a second time, the ship rocked under the force of the dragon hurricane.

Cassie felt sweat bead on her upper lip; her heart was racing as she held onto the chair. She could see them flying past, a mass of wings and legs...they circled in the distance and came at them again...

'They're trying to force us down!' Mitchell realised out loud.

'Here's a thought; maybe we should let them!' Daniel suggested, hanging onto the pilot's seat tightly as the ship was shook for a third time.

'This is a recon mission, Jackson!' Mitchell pointed out.

'Sure, because it's not like any of those have ever gone wrong before!' Daniel retorted. He staggered over to Cassie. 'Can you communicate with them?'

'I...I haven't felt anything from them!' Cassie stuttered, nervously.

'Try!' Mitchell implored her.

Cassie darted an anxious look at Daniel who gazed back at her encouragingly. She closed her eyes and tried to sense the dragons. There was nothing. She wet her lips as the ship rocked under the dragons' attack again.

Her mind pictured the silver dragon. Stop it! Cassie thought strongly. Please! Stop it!

Abruptly, the attack broke off and the cargo ship was steadied by Rya'c.

Cassie opened her eyes and breathed out slowly.

'They're falling back.' Mitchell noted tightly.

'Cassie?' Jonas inquired.

'I asked the Queen to stop the attack.' Cassie said nervously, turning to look at him. She shook her head. 'I don't even know if she heard me.'

'Oh, I think she heard you.' Daniel commented, gesturing back at the windshield.

Cassie swivelled round in her chair and froze.

The silver dragon hovered in the sky just in front of the cargo ship. Her yellow eyes peered into the ship as though she could see right through the cloak.

'OK,' Jonas said, 'I think you got her attention.'

You are Goa'uld! A voice whispered across her mind.

Cassie tried not to jump but she couldn't prevent the slight jerk of her body at the mental intrusion.

Rya'c looked at her concerned. 'Cassandra Fraiser?'

'She thinks we're Goa'uld.' Cassie managed to get the words out, past her dry lips. Fear skittered through her.

'Tell her we're not.' Daniel instructed gently.

Cassie nodded quickly. We're not Goa'uld.

A sequences of pictures appeared in her head; of herself healing Puff with the Goa'uld device; of healing Rya'c and Jack.

Goa'uld, whispered the voice.

A picture of Teal'c appeared; another of Rya'c.

Jaffa, whispered the voice insistently.

No, Cassie thought back strongly. We are not Goa'uld. We are of the Tau'ri. We defeated the Goa'uld and the Jaffa are free now.

Show me!

'Cassie?' Daniel placed a hand on her arm. 'What's going on?'

'She doesn't believe we're not Goa'uld, I think she wants me to show her the truth with my mind.'

The men around her all exchanged a concerned look.

'I'm not sure that's a good idea.' Mitchell said.

'You would be vulnerable to an attack.' Rya'c agreed.

'On the other hand, we don't have a lot of options here.' Jonas argued. 'Cassie communicating with the Queen may be the only way we have of convincing the dragons we're not a threat and beyond that, getting help for Sam.'

'He has a point.' Daniel said. 'We knew this was a risk when we took this mission.'

Had they? Cassie wondered if she'd been the only one who had naively thought they were just going to take a look and be back in the pyramid in time for dinner.

Mitchell sighed. 'The General is going to kill me.' He seemed to take a moment to weigh up their options before he waved at Cassie. 'You ready for this?'

Was she? Cassie thought of Sam. How could she not try? She nodded briskly.

'Go ahead.' Mitchell said softly.

Cassie pressed her lips together and tried to steady her breathing. She closed her eyes. If you want to see...

It was as though cold fingers clamped around her mind; reaching in to search through her memories...

The first team from Earth arriving on Hanka; the parties and the celebration of a new alliance...the building of the astronomy lab...

The plague and Nirrti...Cassie hiding in the bushes, Sam coaxing her to come forward, Teal'c reaching out a hand to her...

Her Mom examining her and the trip back through the Stargate...Earth and the SGC...the pain in her chest...the bunker and Sam coming back to hold her, to be with her even though Cassie could have blown up...

More, whispered the voice.

Cassie felt the cold go deeper. Pain spiked through her head and she stifled a cry even as she grimaced...

Not Sam! The Tok'ra threatening her. Jack comforting her and later...Sam curled up in the infirmary bed, tears in her eyes, so sad and devastated...

Sam talking with her about time travel and paradoxes and Cassie saving them in the future...

And her birthday party...kissing Dominic...the ability to move things with her mind and Nirrti crashing through the observation window...healing her...

More, whispered the voice.

Please, Cassie thought desperately. The fingers tightened in her mind, cold and harsh, ruthless and sharp. A rush of memories surged forward...

Sam telling of her of her Mom's death and the funeral; the sadness; the loneliness...

Remembered grief overwhelmed Cassie; she was drowning in it, tears seeped out of her eyes and ran unchecked down her face...

And Sam...wonderful, brilliant, quirky Sam...trapped in her numbers and equations, the sense of loss Cassie felt at the lack of recognition in Sam's eyes as she looked at Cassie and declared her pretty...

'Cassie!' Daniel's voice echoed dimly in her head as though his words were travelling through a long tunnel.

And suddenly the cold was gone.

Cassie opened her eyes.

Jonas was talking to her urgently, saying something but his face was blurry in front of her and the sound distorted so she couldn't make out the words. Her head ached; the pain too much for her to handle, and Cassie gave up her hold on consciousness.